Time Waits For No Man
by Zannen
Summary: Sakura knew that Kakashi was late for everything. Everyone knows that. But when he’s late for an important event, it just might cost the Copy Nin everything that matters. WARNING: RATING GONE UP TO M FOR CONTENT.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own the manga or the anime Naruto.

I'm only going to write this once—because if you read beyond this chapter, I'm assuming that you've read this one and to repeat myself is a waste of time.

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* * *

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**Chapter 1**

Sakura hummed softly to herself as she set the table.

It was April 17 and the day was just lovely. The soft spring breeze rustled the leaves on the trees and the sound of children laughing drifted in through the open window. She just returned from the market and began preparations for dinner. The 21-year-old jounin wouldn't have minded the presence of her long-time friend and one-time crush Sasuke at the moment.

The Uchiha would know the right placement for the Western style tableware she bought better than she did.

Sakura wouldn't have minded Naruto's presence either. The blonde was a better cook than her and seemed to always know the exact moment to take food off the burner before it became overcooked. She'd even welcome the other jounins' banter and the inevitable argument the two would get into. But they were on a recon mission with Hinata for the daimyou of Fire Country and weren't scheduled to be back until tomorrow morning. The rosette-haired woman caught herself before she could wring her hands together.

She was nervous. She was excited about tonight, but nervous nonetheless.

She shook her head and walked to her bathroom for a quick shower while the sauce for the dish she was making was simmering. As she rubbed lotion onto her body after the shower, she thought about the man she was going through all this trouble for and smiled.

It had taken almost a year and countless strategies—both of a romantic and seductive nature—from Ino, Naruto, Hinata, _and _Sasuke. But in the end, Sakura accomplished her goal.

Hatake Kakashi, the Copy Nin of Konoha, was now hers.

Sakura slowly slid into the silk dress she bought for tonight and grinned. She glanced over at a picture Naruto had taken of the couple on their first official date and the grin became an outright laugh.

It wasn't the usual portrait of a couple strolling through the streets during a festival.

Sakura's hands were fisted in the other's dark green vest and her legs were wrapped around the waist of her silver-haired companion. Kakashi's posture was as sloppy as ever and his hands were buried in the pockets of his baggy pants. The man barely supported her with his arms as she clung to him. Both of their heads were turned to the camera—Sakura's shoulder-length hair was forever frozen in a strange swirl around her head since Naruto took the photo right after he called out their names to get their attention—and they were frowning. Well, Sakurawas frowning. Kakashi's features were hidden as they always were behind his black mask, but there was a glint in his visible eye that promised to inflict pain on _someone_.

She smoothed the silk down her legs and picked up the framed picture.

Sakura remembered how she finally conned her former sensei into taking her to the celebration festival of Orochimaru's death. He'd tried to convince her to go with Sasuke, but she countered with the statement that she didn't care for him in "that way" any longer. She also mentioned the fact that the Uchiha didn't want to be reminded of his former master in any shape or form—even one as innocent as a festival.

Since Naruto was dating Hinata—and had been for the past two years—the blonde wasn't a suitable escort for Sakura. All of the other ninja from the Rookie 9 and Team Gai were either out on missions or already paired off. In Shikamaru's not-so-envied case, he had the (dis)pleasure of being the center of attention of _two_ stubborn and aggressive blonde-haired, blue-eyed kunoichi.

It had only taken an oblique reference to accepting Genma's proposal to prod the Copy Nin the last little inch into offering her his escort services for the afternoon.

_**FLASHBACK**_

_The afternoon had started out alright. They went to the picnic and listened to Tsunade's speech about "village unity and the brave shinobi who fought and died for that unity" with the other shinobi who fought with them during the war with Sound. The two Leaf nin then separated from the group to wander among the stalls set up along the busy streets._

"_Kakashi," Sakura said, breaking into her date's thoughts. "What do you want to do? There's a booth set up for games on the next block."_

_Kakashi turned a dull black eye to his companion and shrugged. "If you want to," he said. "But it's a bit forced, don't you think? Setting up a games booth when half of the contestants are ninja. They'll probably be able to hit the targets without even trying."_

_Sakura frowned. She never thought of it that way. "That's not the point of it Kakashi," she said. "It's the spirit of it all."_

_Kakashi looked down at the woman. "If you want to, then fine," he repeated. "I'll win you a bear."_

"_I can win my own bear," she said confidently. She was about to turn toward the booth when she caught Kakashi's eye glance over the progress of one of the scantily clad village women advertising for one of the village bars. Her back stiffened and a red haze ghosted over her vision as that lone eye traveled back to her in question._

"_I thought we were going to the gaming booth?" Kakashi asked, puzzled by her hesitation. _

_Sakura's unconscious fantasy of a romantic afternoon together melted away with the realization that Kakashi still thought of her as a child. Even after the war and getting Sasuke back, even after she showed him and the other jounin that she was stronger, smarter, and able to fight on the same level as them, he _still _thought of her as nothing but little Haruno Sakura._

_Kakashi blinked in surprise when the rosette-haired young woman responded to his question by jumping up and clinging to his waist with her strong legs. He leaned back to stare into her eyes and placed his hands in his pockets. People were staring, but none wanted to interfere with two of Konoha's most recognizable and most dangerous ninja._

"_I thought you wanted a bear," Kakashi murmured._

"_What I _want,_" Sakura growled. "Is for you to stop treating me like a kid and start treating me like a woman, dammit."_

_With that, the girl swooped down and kissed the man on the lips—mask and all. _

_Kakashi stiffened, but kept his hands in his pockets. It wasn't until the woman clinging to him licked his lips that he began to participate in the kiss. Sakura felt the moistness of his tongue through the cloth and let out a soft moan. The fabric wasn't cotton like she and Ino thought. Kakashi's mask was pure silk, which made the kiss all that more erotic._

_Kakashi stood there as Sakura clung to him. They kissed lazily for what seemed like hours, with him occasionally nipping at her plump lips, when a familiar and obnoxious voice interrupted them._

"_Oi! Kakashi! Sakura! Look over here!" Naruto shouted._

_The two pulled away from each other and whipped their heads around to shout at their blonde ex-teammate._

_CLICK_

"_That's gonna be a keeper!" Naruto shouted, bringing the camera back down from his eyes. "Ja ne!"_

_**END FLASHBACK**_

Sakura turned off the stove and carefully tipped the saucepan onto the serving dish she received from her parents when she moved into her own apartment. It was only that night at dinner that Kakashi reluctantly admitted that he only treated her as a child because he felt perverted for thinking of her as an adult. He'd told the pink-haired woman that he could handle her as a child, he could handle her as a ninja, but as a woman…Kakashi didn't know exactly what to do.

Sakura had laughed at that and told the Copy Nin—in terms he could understand and with a blush that showed her shock over her boldness—what he could do to "handle" her.

Kakashi had simply grinned and finally put his hands on her. _All _over her.

After that, they'd become a couple and now Sakura invited him over for a special dinner. She slid the broiled saury onto the sauce and placed the serving dish onto the table. She opened a bottle of white wine and let it breathe on the counter as she sat down.

Sakura had nonchalantly invited him over for an early dinner at 6 o'clock. It was now 7:30. Knowing her chronically late lover for almost ten years, the woman purposefully told him an earlier dinnertime than she truly meant. She knew that he probably would be late by about two hours and didn't mind in the least.

The food was done, her clothes and make-up were perfect, soft music came through the speakers she had in her apartment—everything was ready. There was nothing more to do than wait.

And wait.

And wait…

* * *

Kakashi woke up to find that the sun had already set. The silver-haired man sat up from his lounging position and quickly picked up his copy of _Icha Icha Tactics. _Placing the book into the pocket of his vest, he stood up and worked the kinks out of his sore neck.

He usually wasn't so tired, but Tsunade—for reasons unknown—gave him the job of teaching the first year students at the Academy today. Iruka, in a rare moment of weakness, succumbed to the flu bug that was going around. Tsunade probably wanted someone to jerk around and chose Kakashi to fill in for the sick man. Kakashi felt a newfound respect for the kind-hearted Iruka. Teaching a genin team was tough, but, compared to teaching a class full of wanna-be ninjas without killing one of the little buggers, it was easier than a D-rank mission.

It was no wonder that Iruka managed to blow past the jounin exams in one go as soon as he decided to _finally _take them. Watching those kids must've built up the man's chakra reserves to the point that nothing fazed him.

A niggling sense of something caused Kakashi to scratch the back of his head. He never carried any of the watches that Sakura or any of the others bought for him when he wasn't out of the village, so he wasn't sure what time it was. He cocked his head to the side when he heard the chimes ring the hour.

_10 o'clock…I guess reading after working out wasn't that good an idea, _Kakashi thought to himself.

The niggling sense that something was wrong turned into an irritating itch on his shoulder blades. His stomach gurgled in hunger and Kakashi finally realized what was wrong.

He was supposed to have dinner at Sakura's apartment this afternoon at 6. He was well aware that she only told him that time so that when he _did _show up the food would still be warm. His lover understood him, that's for sure. She never ordered their food until an hour after their proposed meeting time.

Thank Kami he had a woman who knew him so well.

That realization was followed by the fact that instead of the usual hour, Kakashi was now _two _hours late for dinner.

_Shit._

* * *

Sakura sighed and tried to keep her temper down. She knew that Kakashi was prone to chronic tardiness. It was practically a bigger legend in their village than the defeat of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. But this was, beyond doubt, the worst night for him to practice that particular idiosyncrasy of his.

The dinner she painstakingly made was now under a trio of paper towels. She didn't own any platter covers and the paper was now slowly soaking up the sauce for the fish. The music she had playing had long since stopped. The wine—now missing a glass of its contents—was re-corked and sat in her refrigerator. Her lipstick was gone from her nervous biting of her bottom lip and the occasional sip of wine she allowed herself as she waited.

For the first thirty minutes, she was excited. If she told him 6, then he usually showed up at 8. But as the hands on her clock moved from 8 to 8:30 and from 8:30 to 9, her excitement faded. She began to worry that he was hurt or was suddenly called on a mission that took him away from home.

She even phoned Iruka and asked him if he sent Kakashi on a mission. The man replied in the negative in between sneezes. Iruka calmly reminded her that she specifically called in the _one_ favor the teacher owed her to ensure that her lover remained in the village this night. Sakura was forced to agree with her old sensei and hung up the phone.

Now, two hours later, she moved from worry to rage.

Sakura looked up as the door to her apartment opened silently to reveal a disheveled, leaf covered, and dirty Hatake Kakashi. Her anger faded at his appearance and she practically flew into her lover's arms.

"What happened?" she asked. "Are you hurt? Were you ambushed? I thought you didn't have any tough missions today!"

Kakashi dipped his head to kiss her on the forehead and hugged her to his body. "Nothing bad happened," he said. "I just got roped into teaching at the Academy today."

Sakura backed away and brought Kakashi to the dining table. "But the Academy lets out at 4," she said. "What have you been doing since then?"

"I had to grade papers for an hour and then I decided to train," he answered. "I sort of fell asleep after that. Iruka must have Naruto's stamina if he deals with those monsters every day."

Kakashi let out an appreciative sniff at the food on the table. He took a piece of fish and placed it on his plate along with a spoonful of rice. He looked for a pair of chopsticks and found a Western style spoon and fork instead. He noticed that the tableware was all new and swallowed his food before commenting on it.

"Why do you have new dishes?" he asked.

Sakura sat down across from him and gave him a small smile. Placing some food on her own plate, she shrugged. "I wanted to do something different tonight," she said. "Something special."

"That explains the food," he said. Kakashi gestured to his plate and added a little soy sauce. "No offense to the restaurant, but the fish is a bit overcooked."

"_I _cooked the fish, Kakashi."

The woman across from him stilled at the statement and Kakashi suddenly felt the air around them become heavy with repressed anger. He realized his mistake and did what any man would do in this situation.

"It's really good too!" he said, his exposed eye turning into the upside-down U that indicated his smile. "It's just a _little _overcooked. You know how I like my food a little rare."

"You like your _steaks _a little rare," she replied. "Not your fish."

Why, Kami, did he have to have a woman who knew him so well?

Kakashi gulped as Sakura lowered her head. The top portion of her face was hidden in shadow, but he could see the scowl that covered the lower. He tried to think of a way to get out of the mess he put himself in and decided to complement her on something else—something not edible.

"Ah…you look good," he said, trying to find something sure to distract her. "That's a new dress right?"

"Yes."

The monosyllabic answer made a small bead of sweat form under Kakashi's hitai-ate. It was never a good thing when Sakura became as talkative as Sasuke when she was angry. It only made the impending explosion ten times worse than when she shouted like Naruto.

"New dress…new dishes…and you wanted tonight to be special. Sakura-_chan_," Kakashi drawled. "Are you trying to seduce me? Because if you are, you don't need to work _this _hard." In his nervousness over her mood, he reverted back to his fail-safe persona: slightly perverted jounin.

Sakura's hands fisted on the table and she glared at Kakashi with jade green eyes. "Seduce you?" she asked softly. "_Seduce _you? I wanted tonight to be romantic. If we ended up making love tonight, then that would've been wonderful. But I wanted it to be _special_. Not the usual, 'eat, talk, screw' deal you were so used to before we started going out. I know it's not too much to ask. You've been over for dinner before, but you were only an hour late. I _expected _you to be an hour late. What I didn't expect is for you to be _two hours _late tonight!"

Kakashi, never one to tolerate feminine outbursts, placed his own hands on either side of his plate and stared at Sakura. His voice became neutral and his body took on a deceptively relaxed pose.

"You're in a strange mood, Sakura. It's _never _been just 'eat, talk, screw' with you. I don't even know where you got that idea. I've apologized for being late and I made a little mistake in criticizing your cooking but—"

"No you didn't!" Sakura cried, interrupting his sentence. "You didn't say _one word_ of apology since you came through the door. You didn't even give me one of your lame excuses for being late! Tonight I wanted—"

"Tonight, tonight," it was Kakashi's turn to interrupt. "You keep talking about tonight. What's so special about tonight that you have to pick a fight with me?"

"What's so special about tonight?" Sakura repeated breathlessly. She knew that she had to keep her temper down. She _had _to keep her temper, but she couldn't do that with the cause of her anger sitting three feet away from her. Her bangs shadowed her face as she leaned forward and pointed imperiously to the door.

"Get…out."

Kakashi's eye widened. This wasn't like Sakura. Like any couple, they've had fights before. They always included shouting and threats from the rosette-haired woman in front of him. There were the occasional tears from her and usually a few new bruises for him. For her to just order him from her sight meant that something was different this time.

"Sakura…" he began, trying to find out what was wrong. He stiffened in instinctive male fear as he heard her small sniffle and saw a tear trail down her chin and drop onto her new plate.

"Just…get…OUT…"

Kakashi wanted to stay, but her voice urged him to go. He hadn't heard her use that tone of voice since she came back from seeing Sasuke for the first time in two years when they were fifteen. The jounin slid back from the table and wordlessly left using his teleportation jutsu. If she wanted him gone, then he'd go.

Sakura remained seated for the longest time after the smoke from the jutsu dissipated. Her hand went to the box on the table and her tears came even faster. Kakashi hadn't even noticed the black velvet box. Another reminder of what the Copy Nin didn't notice came to her and Sakura couldn't hold back her sobs any longer.

"He didn't remember," she cried into the silence. "He didn't _remember_…"

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A/N:**

Okay, for those of you who are wondering…no I did not give up on my other fanfic.

A little **troll **came to me with this idea and decided to pinch my ears with her French manicured fingernails until I started writing about it. (Thanks a lot, cuz)

I won't update this one as often as my other fanfic—since that one is my first one and I usually don't like starting another fic until the first is finished. (Again, that **troll **is breathing down my neck for this story.)

Maybe it'll be updated once a week. (If you're lucky.) It _is _summer after all and I've got nothing but time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Kakashi walked slowly to his apartment, his hands in his pockets. He didn't know what was wrong with Sakura. Sure he was late for dinner—by a record _four _hours since the invitation was for a 6 o'clock supper—but he told her the reason why. He even told her the truth this time. Sure he might have criticized her cooking, but that was _before _he knew she cooked it. The jounin didn't know how a few little mistakes added up to him being kicked out of his lover's apartment.

His stomach growled at being denied food and he winced behind his mask. Despite what he told Sakura, the saury _was _tasty. It was just a little overcooked. He was so deep in thought that he almost didn't notice three familiar figures emerging from the ANBU/Jounin Headquarters across the street.

Sasuke, Hinata, and Naruto stepped out onto the street and they all unconsciously relaxed for the first time in days. The "little recon mission" Tsunade gave them turned into a "search, rescue, and destroy mission" when the Fire daimyou's daughter was found consorting with the very people the jounin were sent to spy on. When the trio finally returned the girl to her parents, the daimyou merely shrugged and commented on teenagers and their rebellious stages.

The indifferent statement tested even Hinata's famous patience. As the daughter of a rich, noble house herself, she understood the girl's feelings somewhat. However, she disapproved and despised the way the daimyou's family coddled the teen. It was different than the way her father used to coddle her sister, Hanabi, but it was the similar in that it produced the same results: a petulant, spoiled, and self-serving human being.

As she told Naruto in a furiously whispered aside once they were out of the estate, "Dyeing your hair green, getting piercings and tattoos, wearing provocative clothing, _that_ is a rebellious stage. Becoming the lover and informant for a mob boss trying to overthrow the government your very father runs is _treason!_"

Sasuke frowned at the inconvenience the mission change caused him and his team. They weren't equipped to rescue someone by force—since the daimyou's daughter was there of her own free will, they had to _persuade _her to come with them. Naruto was livid with the thought that they had to add "destroy every tiny little document the mob owned" to the mission and solved the problem by using a jutsu to roast the entire building—and everyone in it.

In the end, the three jounin were tired, cranky, hungry, and paid the salary of a C-rank mission for the work of an A-rank one. None of the ninja knew which part irked them the most, but they were not in the best of moods when Naruto noticed Kakashi walking toward them.

"Oi," he called out into the quiet night. "Kakashi?"

"Yo." The silver-haired man raised his gaze to the trio and erased all signs of worry and thought from his visible eye.

"Kakashi," Naruto began as they approached him. "What are you doing out so late?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow and gave the blonde a look. It clearly stated that the man was an adult and that he could walk around at any time of the day or night.

"What about Sakura-chan, Kakashi-senpai?" Hinata was more polite than her boyfriend, but no less confused by the Copy Nin's presence at this hour.

"She's at home," Kakashi replied. An idea came to him and he verbally reached out to the Hyuuga for help. "Could you talk to her, Hinata? She's in a strange mood tonight and won't tell me what's wrong."

"What did you do?"

The older jounin turned to his ex-teammate and asked blandly, "What makes you think I did something?"

Naruto gritted his teeth and simply repeated his question. "What did you _do_?"

"I was late for dinner tonight."

"Tonight?" Hinata gasped in surprise.

"Yes," Kakashi responded. His brow furrowed at that response. _What was so damned special about tonight that causes women respond like that? _"She suddenly invited me to eat over at her place for some reason. We don't do that often. Usually, we eat out."

"How late were you?"

"Not very."

Naruto clenched his jaw even harder and repeated himself again. "How…late?"

Kakashi tilted his head up and thought about it. "Well, I was there for about fifteen minutes until she kicked me out and then I walked around for about ten more until I ran into you," he answered.

"It's 10:30 at night, Kakashi-senpai," Hinata informed.

"So you were at least two hours late," Naruto concluded.

"More like four," Hinata corrected. "Sakura-chan told me that she invited you over at 6."

"She only said that because she knew I'd be late," Kakashi replied. "She's done it before. I don't know why she reacted the way she did tonight, though."

"You are a completely clueless idiot, aren't you?" Sasuke asked, speaking for the first time.

Kakashi glared at the young Uchiha. The dark-haired man's posture was a mirror of his own. Sasuke stood with his hands in the pockets of his pants and a slight slouch to his shoulders. He ignored the comparison and instead silently demanded that the younger man expand on his statement.

Naruto noticed the look and his jaw stopped clenching. In fact, it practically fell to the ground.

"You _really _don't know, do you?" he asked, realizing the problem.

"Poor Sakura-chan," Hinata murmured, tears shining in her pale lavender eyes. She glanced at Naruto and then at Kakashi. "She's been talking about this for weeks."

"Talking about what?" Kakashi asked. He was sick of the confusion. He wanted to know what made tonight so freakin' special that made the women he knew so emotionally volatile.

"Tonight is the one year anniversary of the day you and Sakura got together," Sasuke answered tonelessly.

He ignored the look of shock on his former sensei's face and instead wondered what kind of food he had ready to eat at home. Hinata's thoughts weren't as bland as the Uchiha's. Instead, she listened to Naruto's next comment and her already cranky mood was boosted up to irritation towards the entire male species.

"Shikamaru told me that Ino told _him _that she and Sakura spent hours in that new ladies' boutique over on Market Street finding the right outfit for tonight," Naruto informed the shocked man.

He got a slight kick out of the frozen, slightly green look on Kakashi's face. Even he, the Master of Baka-ness, didn't forget his and Hinata's anniversary—_ever. _Naruto didn't know much about women, but one thing he did know was that they were touchy about anniversaries and birthdays.

Women were strange like that.

Hinata remembered a conversation she overheard. "She even came by the Hyuuga compound to ask our Head Cook for his recipe for Broiled Saury in Eggplant Sauce," she said.

"Broiled saury is one of your favorite foods, isn't it Kakashi? And you _love _eggplant." He turned to Hinata and added in a hushed voice. "Sakura-chan's not much of a cook and she has a lot of pride, but she asked your cook anyway…"

The Hyuuga's irritation jumped up until it reached righteous anger and stayed there. Her tears disappeared at that moment and Kakashi could've sworn he felt a killing intent coming from the usually quiet woman.

"Our cook made her promise to complete five D-class missions for free in exchange for the recipe."

Kakashi didn't know what to say about that. He desperately tried to think of something and saw Asuma, Kurenai, and Anko exit the Jounin Headquarters. The silver-haired nin immediately found a way to change the topic of the conversation.

"Asuma," he said. "How was that mission of yours?"

"I can't talk about it other than say it went well," the chain-smoker replied in a confused voice. "Why are we all standing in the street this late at night?"

"What are you doing out here, Kakashi?" Kurenai asked, forestalling the other man's answer. "Shouldn't you be with Sakura?"

_Oh great, _he thought, slapping himself mentally. _Does _every_ woman know about my and Sakura's anniversary?_

Hinata folded her arms over her chest and glared at Kakashi while tapping her foot. Her unusual behavior registered with the older jounins and they turned quiet gazes to their peer. The expectant silence was broken when the pearly-eyed kunoichi spoke.

"Kakashi-senpai forgot what tonight was, Kurenai-neechan."

"You **_WHAT_**?"

Kakashi was surprised by the outburst. Kurenai's eyes widened and her red eyes stabbed through him. A sneer formed on her lips and he was shocked by how closely the genjutsu mistress resembled Anko at the moment. The snake-wielding kunoichi looked confused and Kakashi felt relieved that not _every _woman in Konoha knew about his lapse.

"What's so special about tonight?" Anko wondered.

Kurenai glared at Kakashi and took up the same pose as her ex-student. The two women mentally threw kunai and other sharp projectiles at his _sensitive _areas and scowled. They answered the other woman's question in the same flat tone of voice and at the same time—giving each of the men present, minus Sasuke, a strange shiver of fear.

"It's their one-year anniversary."

Anko's gray eyes widened and she spun around to face Kakashi. "WHAT? And you **_forgot_**?"

"Not only that," Naruto said, enjoying the man's pained expression. "But he even showed up two hours late for the dinner Sakura-chan made for him. And that's not counting the two hours of leeway she gave him—considering it is Kakashi we're talking about."

"_Four_ hours?" Kurenai screeched. "She waited for four _hours_?"

Asuma winced at that and looked at his friend with sympathy. "You're going to have to do some major groveling for this one, Hatake."

"MAJOR groveling, Kakashi," Kurenai agreed.

"Flowers, candy and bended knees groveling, you depth-perception challenged moron," Anko added.

"Savings account draining, crawling to her on your stomach in apology, diamond encrusted choker with matching earrings groveling, senpai," Hinata finished.

"Isn't that _too _much?" Naruto asked, shocked.

"It's only their first anniversary," Asuma agreed. "Not their 25th."

"Trust me, it's not too much," she replied. Hinata was strangely aggressive about the issue and the sight was amazing to see. "You don't know what Sakura-chan went through to set tonight up."

"She made a deal with the Head Cook at the Hyuuga Compound for a recipe for Kakashi's favorite food," Naruto explained.

"Oh, that settles it," Kurenai said. She jabbed a finger into Kakashi's chest. "You owe her a diamond _anything _for that. The Hyuuga Chef isn't exactly known for his generosity."

"Oi," a bland voice called out. "Why are you all standing out on the street?"

Kakashi's heart sank as he saw Nara Shikamaru and Yamanaka Ino approaching them. Both jounin stood hand in hand and were dressed in formal clothes. They came from the direction of the only five-star restaurant in Konoha and stared at the group. It was obvious that they were on a date and that the theme for tonight was "romance." Kakashi desperately felt like using his teleportation jutsu to disappear, but knew that there was no way he could escape from this unscathed.

"Kakashi," Ino murmured in surprise when she saw the familiar silver head. "What are you doing here? Where's Sakura?"

Naruto leaned towards Shikamaru and whispered into his ear. But, despite this precaution, Ino heard the hushed statement and proceeded to flip out.

"**WHAT? WHY YOU—**"

"You've done it now, senpai," Shikamaru said, holding one finger in the ear closest to his date. Sasuke, due to years of practice, ignored Ino's ranting and asked Kakashi the one question he didn't want to hear.

"What did you say to her that started your fight?"

"What makes you think we fought?"

Everyone stared at Kakashi with "Are you freakin' _nuts_?" looks. Even Ino paused in her tirade to give him a blank look. The Copy Nin sighed under the scrutiny and answered the question.

"I may have told her that the saury was overcooked…"

The looks he got changed from "Are you freakin' _nuts_?" to "Are you fuckin' _STUPID_?" and he felt his ears become red in embarrassment. One by one, his fellow jounin voiced their opinion of him into one long convoluted sentence.

"Hatake…" Asuma began.

"…you are undoubtedly…"

"…the most fucked up…"

"…troublesome…"

"…d-disrespectful…"

"…completely moronic…"

"…totally late, lame, and perverted…"

"…sad excuse for a walking meat-bag idiot cyclops who doesn't know exactly what kind of treasure he has!"

Kakashi winced as the blonde kunoichi paused for breath to began her next string of verbal abuse. But instead, she began speaking about Sakura.

"When I think about how she's been stressing out about tonight and what to say to you—"

"Ah, Ino—" Shikamaru began, trying to stop his date. She ignored him, as expected, and kept on talking. Although it was more to herself than to the people gathered around her.

"She bought a special ring so that you'd know what she was saying without her having to actually say it. She was so excited and nervous," the woman continued. "She was worried about your reaction. She doesn't look like it, but deep down Sakura's very traditional. She doesn't like it when things are twisted around, romantically speaking. It took me _hours _to convince her to ask you out to that festival in the first place. But she made up her mind and she wanted you to know how she felt about things…"

"A special _ring_?" Kakashi repeated.

"Yes!" Ino said, hearing the hushed whisper. "One that has Hatake and Haruno written on it so that no one can mistake who it belongs to and who belongs to _it_! For some reason, Forehead loves you. She _loves _you and she wanted to make sure that everyone knew it no matter what."

The significance of Ino's revelation hit all of them at the same time. The women glared at him and cracked their knuckles in anger. The men gave Kakashi sympathetic looks and their condolences on his early death. There was only one conclusion to Ino's comments.

Tonight, on their one-year anniversary, Haruno Sakura had planned to propose to Hatake Kakashi.

And now, thanks to his forgetfulness, Hatake Kakashi was going to die by the hands of the woman he loves.

"I'm in deep shit, aren't I?" he asked no one in particular. But one certain raven-haired bastard had to voice what they were all thinking.

"The deepest."

**

* * *

A/N:**

There ya go!

I know I said that I would update once a week but that **troll **I mentioned in the first Author's Note read the first chapter and glomped me until I conceded to write and upload the second chapter soon. Luckily for you—but not so much for me—I'm stuck on my other story, so I wrote this instead.

I tried to keep everyone more or less in character. Hinata has grown to be a strong kunoichi and she can't have spent all of that time with Naruto and Sakura without getting a _small _measure of outspokenness.

I enjoyed writing the Ino-tachi insult towards Kakashi. Besides the three older jounin, you can figure out who said what, right? There's more dialogue than exposition in this chapter and I frankly think that I need to work on my skills for writing out conversations...I'm not completely happy with it, but it's the best I can do.

By the way, according to Wikipedia, Hatake Kakashi's favorite food _is _broiled saury (a type of salmon fish, I think) with salt and miso soup with eggplant.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**

I don't know how you did it Silent-Serpent…but the **troll **must've received your cookie, because here I am updating earlier than expected.

Enjoy.

**

* * *

Chapter 3**

Sakura woke up the next day with a slight headache and puffy eyes. She remembered the events of the night and wanted nothing more than to bury her head underneath her pillow and avoid all human contact. Jade green eyes traveled to her dresser and the collection of picture frames sitting on it. At the very least, she'd get questioned by Ino, Naruto, and Hinata on the success of the night. Kurenai would be slightly curious. Iruka would want to know that the time he took meddling with the assignments in the missions office was well spent.

Thanks to her enthusiastic planning and plotting, too many people knew how important yesterday was for her. Too bad the man himself didn't know.

She was just glad that only one other person knew the surprise she had planned on springing on the Copy Nin after dinner.

Sakura knew that nothing would change what happened last night. She reluctantly dragged herself out of bed and went through her normal morning routine. She was about to slip on her regular jounin outfit when she realized that it was her day off.

Depression reared its ugly head again as she remembered that she had planned on spending the day in bed with her lover.

The pink-haired woman shook her head and changed into a pair of black jeans and a simple black lace tank top. She wasn't going to think about Kakashi anymore this morning. If she did, then she'd probably break down and get an even worse headache. She was about to reach into her medicine cabinet for some aspirin when she remembered that she couldn't take the small white tablets.

Sakura decided to drink some herbal tea instead and found out that she no longer had any of that particular beverage in her fridge. A search of her cupboards yielded no tealeaves anywhere. Letting loose a sigh, she accepted the fact that she'd _have _to go out if she wanted to have her tea.

She was wary of leaving her apartment. If she saw one of her friends, she could just avoid them. The same went for Kakashi, but she also knew that the sight of the silver-haired jounin would either make her want to kill him or make her want to bawl her eyes out. Sakura was certain that no matter what, if she saw him she would get angry.

A part of her knew that she was being a bit overdramatic.

After all, Kakashi wasn't the kind of man to care about anniversaries and things like that. As it was, he barely remembered the birthdays of the members of Team 7. It was only through the actions of Sasuke and Naruto that the Copy Nin remembered.

Every year for Christmas, Sasuke would give Kakashi a calendar and a new alarm clock. When Sakura once remarked on the cheapness of the Uchiha's gift, Sasuke simply raised an eyebrow and said that his gift was the only reason Kakashi would give her anything on _her _birthday. She couldn't say anything to counter that statement because they both knew that it was true.

Every year, right after the Copy Nin would open his present, Naruto would take the calendar from his hands and mark each of their birthdays with a bright red marker. The blonde even went as far as to mark the date _two weeks _before their birthdays so that their former sensei had enough time to buy them decent gifts.

Was Kakashi an overly forgetful man? No, he wasn't. He was more of a man who didn't give much thought to the significance of certain days and what made them stand out from the many other days that made up a year. Unless there was a major mission planned, the man usually didn't even know what day of the weekit was.

But even as Sakura acknowledged that fact, another part of her—the part that included her heart and soul—knew that, even if last night _hadn't _been their anniversary, she deserved a little more than a hug and a kiss on the forehead for an apology.

The man showed up four hours late and didn't even blink when she told him how worried she was. He acted as if it was a normal occurrence. And although for him it _was_ a normal occurrence, she didn't know if she could spend rest of her life waiting for him.

She walked to her door and pocketed her keys and her wallet. She was so focused on her headache and what teas would help alleviate it that she almost tripped over the small bundle that sat just outside her apartment. She looked down and saw Pakkun—Kakashi's ninja dog.

"Pakkun," she said. "What are you doing here?"

The pug remained silent and sat on his haunches. He tilted his head up expectantly and it was only then that Sakura noticed that he held something in his mouth. She knelt down and slowly removed the daffodil from the ninken's jaws. She looked at the flower and frowned.

"Kakashi would like to meet you for lunch today at the dango shop," the pug announced. "He has something to tell you, something to give you, and something to ask you."

"He couldn't come here and ask me himself?"

Pakkun gave a small laugh and scratched the back of his head with his paw. "Kakashi said something about you probably not wanting to see him long enough for him to ask you," he said. A sly look entered his eyes and he stared up at his friend's woman. "What did he do wrong? It's got to be big. He's never used me as a mediator before."

Sakura sighed. _Great, _she thought. _Now we're using a _dog _as a relationship counselor._

She was tempted to deny his request. But she also wanted to hear what Kakashi had to say. She should really give him the chance to defend himself. Knowing the man, he probably was still absolutely clueless as to _why _she had been so touchy last night. She was about to give her answer when familiar voices echoed down the corridor.

"Oi, Ino," a bored sounding voice said. "Are you sure that you want to do this? She might not want to see you."

"You don't know anything about women, do you Shikamaru?" Ino's voice answered. "Her boyfriend totally forgot about their anniversary and didn't even have the decency to apologize for it. At least last night me, Hinata, Kurenai-senpai, and Anko-senpai got the chance to smack Kakashi a few times on her behalf. But right now, Sakura needs a woman's shoulder to cry on."

"Then why am _I _here?"

"To be the stand-in."

"Stand-in?"

"Sakura's going to need a male to pound her frustrations out on, Shika. Seeing Kakashi would be too painful and I don't know where Naruto or Sasuke are, so we've got you."

"Aw, _hell _no!"

The sounds of running feet reached the ears of the two listeners outside of Sakura's apartment. Pakkun winced as a loud thud reverberated and they heard Shikamaru groan in pain. Ino began screeching at her friend and they both sympathized with the shadow user.

"So Kakashi forgot about your anniversary, huh?" Pakkun asked. He ignored the obvious noise of a major scuffle occurring just around the corner.

"Yup," Sakura answered. "And apparently, Ino knows about it. And if Ino knows, everyone does. Speaking of…we should get out of here before she drags Shikamaru to my door."

They quickly exited through the hallway's only window and bounded over the rooftops. After a few blocks, Sakura stopped and placed a hand over her stomach. She didn't know how people could be so energetic without breakfast. She was starving.

"Are you going to meet him or not?"

Sakura looked down at her companion and sighed. She still held the flower. The woman held the daffodil between two fingers and snapped the stem right below the blossom. She gave the green stalk to the dog, who took it between his jaws. Tucking the bloom into her hair, she nodded grimly.

"But not at the dango shop," she qualified. "For one, they'll be too many people who can see us and bother us there. If he wants to talk—I mean _really _talk—tell him to meet me at the old Team 7 spot by the bridge at noon. And if he knows what's good for him, he won't be late."

The ninken nodded and bounded off to tell his master her message.

* * *

Kakashi leaned against the red painted railing of Team 7's Bridge and held back a sigh. A large picnic basket lay at his feet and in the crook of his arm was a small bouquet of daffodils. The silver silk yukata he wore was a Christmas present from Sakura and had dark red trimming on it. A matching dark red turtleneck, pulled up over his jaw and nose so that it acted as a mask, completed the outfit.

He knew that he looked a bit ridiculous standing around in traditional clothing in the middle of the day and with no festival planned for months. He really didn't see how Hyuuga Hiashi could move comfortably, let alone _fight, _in the robes he wore. He held back another sigh and shifted his weight onto his other foot.

Sakura was late.

His gaze drifted up to glance at the position of the sun and absently noted that it was now at least forty minutes past noon. Kakashi wasn't sure if this was intentional or if she was legitimately late. Their profession was an erratic one. It was easily prone to sudden calls and emergencies that could cancel any number of personal engagements and plans. Added to the fact that Sakura was almost obsessive about being prompt, the silver-haired jounin assumed that something must have held her up.

_But then again, _he thought. _She has every right to stand me up for what I did. _

Kakashi placed his free hand in his pocket and felt the stem that Pakkun brought back from his conversation with Sakura. The pug didn't give him any more information than Sakura's willingness to meet him and her change of meeting place. But there was a shine of amusement in the dog's eyes and a final parting shot about Kakashi's general intelligence that rankled the jounin's brain before he left.

_Damn smart-ass dog._

He wasn't sure as to the meaning behind Sakura's action of sending the dog back with the flower stem. Because he knew her for so long, and because it was second nature to him, Kakashi racked his brain to look "underneath the underneath."

She accepted his invitation for lunch, but changed the location. So that showed her willingness to talk, but on her terms.

She accepted his flower, but sent him back the useless, wilted stem. So that proved that she was willing to forgive him, but that he would have to grovel for her forgiveness first.

But it could also be a threat. The limp, flowerless stalk could mean that when she _did _see him again, she would rip a few parts of his anatomy off with the ease and strength she used to rip the bloom from its stem.

Kakashi thought about that scenario and closed his eyes in imagined torment. Sometimes having a vivid imagination was a bad thing. Like the time when Naruto mentioned seeing Gai holding hands with some woman and the image of the spandex-wearing jounin having sex automatically popped into the Copy Nin's mind.

"_**ARGH! NOT AGAIN!"**_

Sakura stifled a laugh as she saw Kakashi hold his hand over his visible eye and yell out as if in terrible pain. Judging by the way that his jaw worked—as if to get rid of a bad taste in his mouth—and the way he kept rubbing his hand over his eyes—as if to tear the orbs from their sockets—he probably imagined Gai having sex again. The urge to laugh died when she noticed the flowers in his arms and she remembered that she was mad at him.

"Kakashi," she said softly. "What are you doing?"

The silver-haired jounin stopped his uncharacteristic pawing and stood up straight to look at his lover. She wasn't dressed as formally as he was—she only had on black jeans, a dark blue men's style blouse over a black lace tank top and her black shinobi sandals. But then again, she wasn't the one who had to beg the other's forgiveness.

Sakura felt her heart lurch at the sight of his dark eye meeting hers. He was looking _mighty _handsome at the moment. The silver and red complemented his coloring. And Sakura always felt that seeing him in _any _kind of traditional clothing was sexy beyond all reason. She noticed that his hitai-ate was gone and in its place was the black eye patch that made him look like a pirate. Kakashi _knew _that she had a weakness for pirates.

_Damn the man, _she thought. _Damn him for looking like that when I'm angry with him._

**_I know we're angry with him, but can't we jump him first and shout at him later? _**Inner Sakura asked.

The kunoichi shook her head. It had been a while since her inner self came out to talk to her.

"Sakura," Kakashi murmured. Even though he knew her for the better part of ten years, he never knew exactly what went on in that brain of hers when she got that look on her face. The woman blinked and focused her gaze on his. He wished that she didn't do that. Sakura had a way of looking at a person that made the world shrink until it only contained her and whoever she was looking at.

Green orbs held him until his gaze traveled down and he saw the hard line of her lips. Feeling awkward in a way he'd never been, even as a teenager, Kakashi held the flowers out to her. For a moment, she stared at the blooms as if they were poisonous. He breathed easier when she silently took the bouquet.

"You wanted to talk, Kakashi?"

The jounin cleared his throat and motioned to the grassy bank near the bridge, then to the picnic basket. "I thought that we could talk over lunch," he said. "Since you didn't want to meet at the dango shop, I brought some food."

Sakura raised a thin eyebrow at the size of the basket, but remained silent. She nodded slowly and followed Kakashi. He stopped at the spot where the land began to slope into the river and laid a red and white-checkered cloth on the ground. He motioned for her to sit and she did. She placed her flowers on the grass next to her and sat back—resting her weight on her arms behind her.

She stayed quiet as he settled next to her and took out two plates of fried chicken. She stared at the breaded meat and raised her eyes to meet Kakashi's.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Southern Fried Chicken with Gravy, Coleslaw, and a drink called Mint Julep," he answered. "I have water too, if you don't want to drink this."

"What restaurant did you get this from?" she asked after taking a bite of her chicken. She waved off the Mint Julep and instead took a swig from the water bottle Kakashi handed her.

"I didn't get it from a restaurant."

"You _cooked_?" Sakura asked, ready to induce vomiting if he answered in the affirmative.

"No," he laughed at the look on her face. "I don't want to kill us."

"Then where?" she asked as she relaxed her stomach muscles.

"I asked the Head Cook at the Hyuuga compound to prepare the food," Kakashi admitted.

_And promised to build a tree house for his sons and complete _15 _D-rank missions for free, _the silver-haired jounin added silently.

Sakura was shocked. She knew from experience that the Hyuuga Chef never did anything for anyone who wasn't a Hyuuga for free. The fact that Kakashi went to the man probably meant that he was doomed to a month of menial tasks. The thought that he would go so far to get a nice lunch for them warmed her heart.

But that warmth faded as she realized that Ino must've told Kakashi about Sakura's deal with the Hyuuga for last night's dinner preparations. There was no other explanation for his sudden decision to work off the debt for the meal rather than pay for it at a restaurant.

"Traditional clothes…foreign food…a quiet picnic by our old meeting spot…what exactly are you planning, Kakashi?"

Sakura turned away from him and let her bangs shade her face from him. Her wording wasn't lost on the Copy Nin and he frowned. Kakashi set down his plate and took hers off of her lap. He moved so that he sat facing her and hesitated. He wanted to hold her hands, but he wanted her to look at him more.

The silver-haired jounin froze as Sakura's finally eyes made contact with his and felt the world around them shrink again. But unlike the other times, when she looked at him with affection and love, he felt that this time, she despised him. It was _not _a pleasant feeling. He remembered the things he planned to say to her and determination filled his black gaze.

Over the course of last night, in between getting smacked by four righteously angry kunoichi and begging the Hyuuga Chef to make him a picnic lunch, Kakashi decided what exactly he would say to Sakura to get her to forgive him. He loved her too much to let one big, idiotic mistake on his part ruin their relationship. He knew she loved him as well. She wouldn't be so hurt if she didn't.

"I just wanted today to be special."

"Special," Sakura scoffed. His wording wasn't lost on her either and she turned her glare onto him. Hugging her knees to her chest, she rested her head on them. "What's so _special_ about today?"

"Nothing," Kakashi replied. "Nothing's special about today. Nothing is special or worthwhile when you're this upset with me."

"Do you even know _why_ I'm angry?" she bit out. Oh, but it was hard to hold on to her anger when he said sweet things like that. He picked up way more than perverted thoughts from reading _Icha Icha._ Sakura had to admit that—when it came to sweet-talking a girl—Jiraiya had a way with words.

"I forgot about our anniversary," Kakashi answered. "I was late for the dinner you made and I didn't even apologize for it. Well, I'm apologizing now and I'm asking that you forgive me for being so inconsiderate."

"You only know about our anniversary because Ino told you, not because you remembered it yourself," Sakura assumed. When he actually voiced his crime out loud, her anger returned full force.

"As for you being late, you're _always_ late. I've known you for years and nothing's going to change that. But you take it for granted that I'll be there waiting for you. I can't tell you the number of times I've wanted to just leave a restaurant or stop hanging in front of the movie theatre like a loser because you can never be on time. The only thing that stopped me from leaving was knowing that at any second you'd show up and everything would be fine and we'd have fun."

Sakura leaned her cheek on her upraised knee and looked over Kakashi's shoulder. She didn't want to look at his face anymore. He dragged his hand through his silver hair and stared out onto the river. The family on the opposite bank was having a picnic as well and the father was helping one of the children fly a red kite. Kakashi wished for a moment that he and Sakura could be that easy with one another again.

"I can't afford to always be the one waiting for you. I've got people who count on me: Tsunade-shishou, my squad, my family. One day there'll be someone else who needs me and I won't be there because I'm stuck waiting for you. There are only so many hours in the day and other people deserve my time too. Time is precious to me, Kakashi. While you act as if you have nothing _but _time."

"So what do you want me to do?" he demanded, eye narrowed. The jounin's temper flared at her little speech. His pride—of which he had plenty—prompted him into speaking without thinking. "I understand if you're not there when I show up. I don't turn it into a huge deal when you _are _late. We're both shinobi; we both have duties that make living normal lives difficult."

Kakashi kept his eyes fixed on the family, but continued talking in a gruff voice.

"Do you want me to run around rushing through life and stressing about useless and unnecessary things? Do you want someone who'll worry needlessly about deadlines and watches the clock incessantly for every little act that must be done? If you want someone like that, then go after Iruka. Hell, after me, dating another former teacher of yours should be easy."

Sakura's eyes widened at the last part and Kakashi knew that, in his temper, he went too far. He saw her fist flying toward him and closed his eyes. He kept them closed even after the force of Sakura's punch made him fly several feet and knocked him onto his back on the grass. He cursed himself for losing control and mouthing off without thinking. It was something that was never pretty when it occurred and a state that only the kunoichi currently walking away from him could reduce him to.

_Wait, _Kakashi thought, his closed eyes snapping open. _I can't let her walk away. I just can't!_

Two strong arms wrapping tightly around her upper body from behind halted Sakura's march. She clenched her teeth before raising her hands to rest them lightly on Kakashi's forearms. She felt a small measure of satisfaction when he stiffened warily, but he didn't loosen his hold.

"Hatake," she growled. "If you know what's good for you, then you will remove your arms from my person right this instant."

"No," Kakashi whispered.

He didn't care too much for many people. He respected the other jounin he knew and enjoyed their company. He was fond of his male students and saw them as younger cousins. But he realized that if they disappeared tomorrow, he would mourn, but he would also find a way to go on with his life. If he lost Sakura now, he would never be the same.

"I'm sorry," he rasped. Her soft pink tresses rested against his cloth-covered chin and he breathed in her apple blossom scent. "I didn't mean that last part. I was angry and stupid. I'm sorry."

"You have no right to be angry I this situation, Hatake Kakashi," Sakura said in a strange monotone. "I told you the problem I had with your attitude and you reacted like a child. You've insulted and hurt me. And now, like a child, you expect it to magically get all better now that you've said that you're sorry."

"I don't know what else I can say. I've messed up and I _am _sorry. Just…don't go." The silver-haired man didn't care if he sounded pathetic at the moment.

_Screw pride, _he thought. _That stupid character flaw is what got me into deeper shit than I already was in._

"Stay and we'll talk—like adults. Please?" he buried his face in her hair and sighed. "I know it's selfish to ask you to do that after I royally fucked up and said what I just did, but please hear me out. Let me make it up to you."

Sakura had tightened her hold on his arms, ready and willing to use force to get him to let her go, but she stilled at his words. Her head fell forward and tears began to drip down to stain the sleeves of his yukata.

"Kashi," she cried, using the nickname only she used for him. Sobs began to quake through her body. Sakura's headache returned full force and with reinforcements. "Let me go, you insensitive moron. It hurts too much to be near you right now. Let me go."

"No," he repeated. His heart broke with each sob that wracked her frame. "We don't have to talk right now if you don't want to. But don't go. Just let me hold you."

Sakura shook her head and cried harder. The pain and stress from last night and the past few hours caught up with her and her knees buckled. Kakashi caught her and held her in his arms. He walked over to the blanket and sat down with her in his lap. He felt her become limp in his arms and looked down.

The stress must have been too much, because Sakura fainted and was now unconscious in the Copy Nin's arms.

"Sakura…I'm so sorry." Kakashi murmured, a tear trailing down his cheekbone and dampening the cloth of his mask. "I'm an idiot."

"The biggest," a feminine voice called out.

The Copy Nin froze in fear at the familiar voice and he looked up to see a frightening figure standing over him.

"Tsunade-sama…"

**

* * *

A/N:**

Should I end it there? Yes, I think I'll end it there.

One reviewer wanted a little clarification for the Ino-tachi insult hurled at Kakashi last chapter, so here it is:

"_Hatake…" Asuma began._

"…_you are undoubtedly…" Kurenai sighed._

"…_the most fucked up…" Anko growled._

"…_troublesome…" Shikamaru murmured._

"…_d-disrespectful…" Hinata stammered._

"…_completely moronic…" Sasuke drawled._

"…_totally late, lame, and perverted…" Naruto yelled._

"…_sad excuse for a walking meat-bag idiot cyclops who doesn't know exactly what kind of treasure he has!" Ino screeched, finishing the string of insults by smacking the silver head of the sad excuse for a walking meat-bag idiot cyclops. _

There ya go : D


	4. Chapter 4

**Warning! For the safety of the Author…**

Please do not feed the **troll **cookies or other such sugar products. Consumption of said dietary products will cause the **troll **to become excessively kawaii and unnecessarily aggressive. When in such a state, the **troll **inevitably causes harm to the Author until a new chapter is written.

It should also be of note…the **troll **reads the reviews more anxiously than the Author himself does. Any mention of the **troll **leads to immediate glomping and much ear and cheek (both sets) pinching for the Author.

**

* * *

On a side note:** Congratulations to the **troll's **sister on the birth of her first child, Jaylan. May he be healthy and happy all of his days. I now have a brand new respect for mothers everywhere.

Thank you for putting up with us whom you bore.

I apologize in advance for the awkwardness of the first part of the chapter. I wrote it while in the waiting room waiting for baby Jaylan's arrival and I can't think of any way to improve it.

**

* * *

Chapter Four**

A delicate hand brushed blonde hair over one shoulder before settling on a curvaceous hip. The sound of knuckles cracking echoed through the still air and told the man in no uncertain terms what was about to happen. Kakashi carefully set Sakura down on the blanket and stood up. He walked with his hands in his pockets for a few meters and then turned to face the older woman, making sure that Sakura was still in his sight.

"How much did you overhear?" he asked. He stood in his usual slouched position and stared at the woman with one droopy eye.

"Enough," was the terse reply. She stood, arms akimbo, ready to avenge the young woman she thought of as her daughter and glared at the man with honey-brown eyes.

"Give me the chance to make it up to her."

"I already gave you your one chance and, apparently, you blew it," she shot back. "I thought I made it clear what would happen to you if you hurt her."

"I could fight back," he said.

"Please do."

"I could run."

"I'd catch you."

The thing was…he knew she _would_, too.

"One question before you start then," Kakashi said, holding up one hand.

"You only have _one _question?"

"I have several, but I'm sure you want to get to the ass kicking."

"Go."

"Why did she faint? That's not like her."

"From what I hear, she used to faint all the time."

"She's not twelve years old anymore."

"You'd know more about that than I would, I suppose," Tsunade snapped. Kakashi tensed at the insult, but remained otherwise still. He deserved a few verbal lashings for his actions. He just didn't expect them to go along with a physical one.

"Most of the people who know her know she's been running around trying to make sure your anniversary was special. She even managed to get Iruka to switch mission assignments so that it was Genma and not you who was sent to Rock Country," the blonde revealed. "I let it slide considering the circumstances and the fact that Genma is just as qualified as you for the job. But Iruka must've owed her one helluva favor. Changing mission assignments when you're not the Hokage is a class B crime."

"She introduced him to Anna-chan," Kakashi answered dully. He couldn't believe that Iruka, the "play by the rules," straight-laced man himself, had risked expulsion from the Ninja Corp for Sakura.

"Iruka's lovely girlfriend? Sakura's the one who introduced them?" The older woman understood Iruka's debt to her apprentice now. The newly promoted jounin and his civilian girlfriend were going to get married next month.

"That doesn't explain why she fainted," Kakashi said. They were getting off topic now.

"I was leading up to that, Hatake. I wanted you to know that Sakura was anxious about your anniversary. The stress she's been through for the past few days can take a toll on _any _body," Tsunade explained. "Even one as strong as Sakura's."

"One more question," Kakashi said. He waited a few beats as he looked at the prone form of the woman behind Tsunade. "Is she pregnant?"

Tsunade's eyes widened in genuine surprise at Kakashi's question and she glanced back over her shoulder at her apprentice. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "If she is, then she hasn't told me."

"But you'd know if she was," Kakashi pressed.

"Of course," she said. "But I'd have to examine her first."

"Then do so."

"I can't do that!" Tsunade gasped. "Not without her permission!"

"Sakura and I have processed the necessary paperwork," he calmly stated. "In the event that one of us is in need of medical attention and unable to make an informed decision on the matter, then the other has the lawful power to request medical attention and action."

"That's a pretty serious commitment to each other, Hatake. One usually reserved for married couples and family members," Tsunade said, raising an eyebrow. "Were you planning on marrying her soon?"

"We're shinobi," he answered, neatly avoiding her question. "The medical arrangement between Sakura and me has existed since she was 16. She said that I was a better choice to make the decisions if she was seriously injured than her parents. And she's the only one I trust enough to give that power to."

"She'll skin us both," she said.

"She fainted and we were worried," Kakashi replied.

"I can't give her a full examination here," Tsunade warned. "I'll have to use chakra and that's only 75 percent accurate in detecting pregnancy."

"Do it," Kakashi said. Tsunade looked at the determined set of his shoulders and the glint of curiosity and hope in his eye.

_Hope? _She wondered. _Does he _want _Sakura to be pregnant?_

The blonde Hokage walked back to where her apprentice lay sleeping. Her hand glowed a soft green as she ran it an inch above the other woman's stomach and abdomen. Tsunade's brow furrowed in concentration and her eyes shut as the answer to Kakashi's question came to her.

"Well?" the silver-haired man demanded as Tsunade stood back up and approached him.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi," Tsunade began. The glow of hope died from the man's eye and his shoulders drooped just a fraction more. "She's not pregnant."

"Oh," he said. "There were just a few things that made me think…"

He felt disappointment and sadness run through him. He didn't know if a child at this point in time was the best thing for Sakura. But it would be perfect for the Copy Nin. He'd almost given up on becoming a father when he and the pink-haired kunoichi got together. He didn't even know that he'd been anticipating the arrival of a child until Tsunade told him that one wouldn't be coming anytime soon.

The look on Kakashi's face dampened Tsunade's righteous anger at the man. It was so full of disappointment and regret. She sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder. The blonde woman placed her other hand on his bicep and shook him slightly to get his attention. He hadn't noticed her approach and jerked in surprise. When he raised his gaze to hers, she looked at him and sighed. "Kakashi…" she began.

"Shishou! Stop!" Sakura grabbed her sensei's shoulder and pulled the older woman away from Kakashi. Her strength caused Tsunade to fly back several meters before she caught herself. The younger kunoichi spun around and protected Kakashi's body with her own. "Please, Tsunade-shishou, don't hurt him!"

Tsunade rubbed her shoulder and glared at her student. "Sakura—"

"I know you said that you'd smash Kakashi into a mushy pulp if he screwed things up with me," Sakura interrupted. "Naruto told me and Sasuke that that's what you told him. Actually, his words were more like 'Tsunade-baachan told Kakashi that she'd tear his testicles off without anesthetic and force him to watch as she fed them to Tonton. Then she'd smash Kakashi into a mushy pulp if he ever screwed things up.' And I know that he messed up by forgetting our anniversary, but—I mean—it's _Kakashi_. You shouldn't maim someone just because he was being himself."

"Sakura…" Kakashi said, trying to stop her insane chatter. He hadn't heard her go on speaking for so long without stopping to breathe before—he was getting worried. He'd winced at the "tear his testicles off without anesthetic" part, though. He could still remember the fire in the Godaime's eyes when she threatened him with that statement.

"I mean, sure I made a big deal about our anniversary," she prattled on. She began to slowly walk backwards to force Kakashi further away from the woman. "But it's not like I _told _him what a big deal it was. He just thought that we were having a normal dinner. Sure he was late and everything, but he must've been pretty confused when I got mad at him like that. Kakashi's talented, but he's not a mind reader. I can't blame him for not knowing about forgetting our anniversary."

"You were quite willing to blame me for it before, Sakura," Kakashi whispered behind her. Her dramatic change in attitude amused the man and he lightly grasped her hips to hold her close as they continued walking backwards.

"Shut up, Kashi. Can't you see that I'm trying to save your life?" Sakura rasped back urgently. She looked at Tsunade and raised her voice. "We were just having lunch to work things out. Look, he even packed a picnic for us."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow and glanced at the orange-pink sky. "It's a bit late for lunch now, isn't it?"

Sakura finally noticed the late afternoon sky and frowned. "When did it get so late?" She turned to face Kakashi and poked him in the chest. "When the hell did it get so late?"

"You fainted," he replied, amusement causing the skin around his eye to wrinkle as a smile formed beneath his mask. "You've been out of it for a while. Tsunade-sama was just reassuring me about your health when you threw her."

_No need to tell her about Tsunade's examination, _Kakashi assured himself. _The results were negative anyway. She'll only get mad and she just began talking nicely to me again._

"I-I d-did?" she stuttered. Sakura blanched at the realization that she laid her hands on her sensei and _threw _her several meters without permission. The young woman stared at Tsunade. The blonde stood tapping her foot and with a frown marring her brow. Sakura immediately began bowing and apologizing.

"I'm sorry! I just misunderstood! I mean—Ino-pig knew that Kashi forgot about last night and if she knows, I assumed that _everyone _knew. I know that Naruto overheard you threatening Kashi before and when I woke up and saw you grabbing his arms and shaking him like that, I got scared. I know you care about me and only want to protect me from getting hurt, but hurting the man I love isn't really going to keep me from getting hurt. In fact, hurting the man I love will only hurt _me _and you don't want to do that, right? I mean—"

"Sakura-chan," Kakashi whispered into her ear. He held onto her upper arms and rested his chin on her shoulder. Breathing in her apple blossom scent, he chuckled softly and nuzzled her neck. "_Breathe._"

His grin grew as the kunoichi proceeded to drag in huge gulps of air through her mouth. He placed one hand behind her back and the other behind her knees and picked her up in his arms. He strolled past the bemused Godaime and easily gathered the remains of their meal into the basket with one arm. He picked up the wicker basket and turned to the Hokage.

"Thank you for your concern," he began, nodding his head to the older woman. "But Sakura and I can iron things out ourselves." Tsunade barely had time to nod in acknowledgement before the couple disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Basket and all.

* * *

"You changed your mind about being mad at me pretty fast back there," Kakashi remarked.

"Watching the one you love in what you think is a life-or-death situation, really helps in getting rid of petty anger right quick," Sakura said, laying her head on her lover's chest. "You shouldn't scare a girl like that."

"We were discussing your health—not fighting," Kakashi chuckled as he lay back in his bed. Sakura was curled against his side like a cat, nestled in the crook of his arm, and he couldn't keep himself from playing with a few strands of her hair.

"All I saw when I sat up was Tsunade-shishou grabbing and shaking you," Sakura replied, defending her actions. "You had this kind of dazed look on your face and I got scared."

"How can you tell that I looked dazed?" he wondered out loud. He glanced down at the woman in his arms only to find her absently tracing the embroidery on his yukata with her fingers.

"I know your looks, Kashi. I can tell what you're feeling even with that stupid mask of yours in place," she answered simply. She continued tracing the dark red embroidery until she reached the matching obi that kept the garment closed. She tucked her hand in the gap of the yukata, her eyes focused on her task. Otherwise, she would have noticed the flash of desire that came and went over the features she claimed to know so well.

"I knew that this would look good on you," she remarked smugly. "It just took a fight and a really pathetic attempt at groveling to get you to wear it."

"Who says that it was a pathetic attempt?" Kakashi asked. As good as Sakura's hand on his abdomen felt, he placed his own over it and stilled its movements. They needed to talk before anything else. And he knew, despite his wish to straighten things out with her and Sakura's lingering anger at him, _"anything else" _would happen sooner rather than later if she kept up her unconscious petting.

"Most men who grovel don't end up insulting and then holding their unconscious girlfriends in their arms," Sakura responded.

"Says you."

Sakura laughed and lightly punched Kakashi's side. They remained silent for a while after that. Kakashi's hand continued to play with her hair and she shivered when his fingers lightly ran over her neck in the process. Sakura snuggled closer to him. She knew he had an expectant look on his face.

"Okay, so maybe the idea of an apology lunch was pretty un-pathetic," she conceded.

"And?" Kakashi prodded.

"The flowers were a nice touch; so was the fact that you dressed up for the occasion. And you picked the spot where our team used to meet, which was very sweet by the way."

"Sakura…"

"The food was good."

Kakashi waited for her to add to the last statement and frowned when she remained silent. He abruptly turned onto his side, facing away from her, and stared at his paint-chipped green wall. Sakura sat up at his movement and stared down at him with laughing eyes. Naruto and Sasuke would never expect this from him—hell, _no one _in the five shinobi villages would ever expect this from him—but Hatake Kakashi was an accomplished sulker.

"The chicken was delicious," she said.

Her smile widened at Kakashi's continued silence and stifled a chuckle when she saw him fold his arms over his chest. She lay on her side, propping herself up with her elbow, and lightly ran her free hand down his arm. When the feared Copy Nin only shrugged his shoulder away, she moved closer so that he could feel her breasts against his back.

"The chicken wasn't overcooked at all," she drawled.

Kakashi grunted in answer. Her breath fell against his hair and he knew she was leaning over him from the weight of her body against his back. He suppressed a shiver when she lightly grasped his hipbone through his yukata. Her thumb pressed against the bundle of nerves located just above it and he felt a thrill run through him.

_Damn her and her Medic knowledge, _he thought.

"The Hyuuga Chef must've asked for a vial of your blood and your firstborn child to make us a feast on such short notice," she murmured into his ear before licking it and pulling away from him. Sakura moved onto her back and brought her hands up to cushion her head. "I had to promise him five free D-ranks before he'd even give me the _recipe_ for that fish last night_—_and I asked him one month ago."

Kakashi mourned the loss of her warmth and turned onto his back as well. They both stared up at the ceiling and sighed. He softly stroked her upper thigh as she began to doze. The room began to darken as the sun set. The streetlights began to turn on and filled his small apartment with their yellow-ish glow. He finally broke the comfortable silence when the last rays of sunlight disappeared.

"I have to build his sons a tree house," he said. Sakura moved her head to glance at his profile and kept her laughter under control. "And do 15 free D-ranks for him."

Sakura's laughter couldn't hold out against that last piece of information. The kunoichi curled up into herself as giggles erupted from her mouth. Kakashi let a wry grin form on his face and pounced on her. They wrestled for a bit, each one trying to beat the other without really trying. Kakashi finally managed to pin her down and he smiled down into her laughing eyes. They both stilled as the laughter slowly faded and they realized the position they were in.

Sakura raised her hand and slowly removed Kakashi's eye patch from his head. Green orbs met mismatched ones as they continued to gaze at each other. She trailed her fingers through his bangs and over his Sharingan. Kakashi leaned into Sakura's hand as she caressed his face. Slightly calloused fingertips traced the long scar that disappeared under the red mask he wore. Sakura gently dragged the fabric down and watched as her lover's face was fully revealed to her.

The green-eyed beauty never got tired of the rush she felt when she saw Kakashi's face. It truly had nothing to do with the fact that she was the only one on Team 7 lucky enough to see it. Instead, the thrill she felt was the pure shot of pleasure a woman feels when looking at the man she loves. She ran her fingers over strong cheekbones and soft, pale skin that rivaled her own. She rested the tips of two fingers against a pair of full—but not fat—lips and closed her eyes when he kissed them.

Passion—never far below the surface for them—swelled and she hooked her arms behind his neck. She was about to pull him down to her lips when his hands on her waist stopped her. The rosette-haired woman glanced at him in confusion, but Kakashi's grip remained firm. He shook his head and kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry, Sakura," he whispered. He stared earnestly into her eyes. He had to make sure she understood and believed him this time. "I didn't mean to forget."

"I know," she answered. She didn't break their gaze as she brushed his silver bangs off of his forehead. "I should've reminded you about it. I remind you about every single _other _important event you have to go to. I don't know why I didn't remind you about this one."

"I didn't mean what I said today at lunch."

"I did," she said. The light in Kakashi's mismatched eyes dimmed a bit. She bit her bottom lip nervously, but continued. "It's true that you take me a bit for granted and that I resent that. I didn't have to say it the way I did though. I'm sorry about that."

"You don't have to apologize. _I'm_ the one who—"

"Yes I do," Sakura interrupted. "It takes two people to have an argument and I'm just as stubborn as you when it comes to winning one. In fact, I think that I'm _more _stubborn than you. You usually give up after a while if your 'indifferent genius' and 'indifferent pervert' tactics don't work." Kakashi smiled at that and bent to kiss her lips lightly.

"And I meant what I told Tsunade-shishou," Sakura added. She pressed her head back into the pillows when Kakashi's lips traveled from her lips to nibble at her throat. "If she hurt you, then she'd end up hurting _me _too."

"Are we okay then?" he asked, more than ready to stop talking. "No more fighting?"

"No more fighting," she sighed, grabbing the edges of his yukata. She shoved her hands into the fabric and felt his muscled chest through his dark red turtleneck.

"So on to make-up sex?" Kakashi grinned, untying the obi around his waist.

"No make-up sex," Sakura answered. She smiled as the man above her stilled and brought her head up to peck at his lips. "We're going to make love—Anniversary style."

"I've never heard of that position before."

"Shut up and kiss me, Kakashi."

* * *

Kakashi and Sakura lay next to each other, panting softly. She rested her hand on his bare hip and the man shivered at the contact. He held her other hand in his and lazily brought it to his lips for a gentle kiss. He closed his eyes and contentedly ran his hand through her sweat tossed hair.

"Happy Anniversary," he whispered gruffly in the darkness.

"And to think you almost missed this," Sakura joked.

"I'm an idiot," he repeated for the second time today.

"No doubt," she answered.

Sakura suddenly remembered something and began to wriggle away from her lover's warm body. Kakashi half-complained about her movements, but she managed to escape his embrace. She swung her legs over the side of his bed and bent to put on the red turtleneck Kakashi stripped out of hours ago. She used the dim glow from the streetlamp outside to make her way to the light switch. They both blinked in pain when the bright lights turned on.

"Sakura," Kakashi asked, sitting up. "What are you doing?"

The rosette-haired woman was looking through the tangle of clothes for her blue shirt and largely ignored the man. The silver-haired ninja didn't mind since he got a good view of Sakura's long legs under his shirt as she moved around. The sound of her voice dragged his attention away from his ogling.

"You might want to cover yourself up, Kashi," Sakura said absentmindedly. "There's a really good view into your room from the roof of the next building and we forgot to close the blinds."

"And how do you know about this 'really good view,' Sakura?" Kakashi leered. He reached out a pale limb and brought the sheet up to cover his lap. Sakura looked up from her search and gave the Copy Nin a lewd grin and a seductive wink.

"Secret," she sang out to Kakashi's dismay. He hated it when she sang out that word in that particular manner. It meant that there was no way in hell he was going to find out what the secret was. Sakura found what she was looking for and bounded over to her love. She sat down on the rumpled sheets and hugged her knees to her chest.

"This is for you," she said, holding out a small black velvet box. "I was going to give it to you last night, but you know how that went."

"You had my anniversary gift with you at lunch?" Kakashi asked, avoiding looking at the small box. "I thought you were mad at me."

"Sure I was mad," Sakura agreed. "But I wasn't going to _stay _mad. I've known you for too long to give up on you now, Hatake. Besides, I wanted to see what kind of groveling you'd be capable of. Naruto bought Hinata a diamond bracelet when he forgot her birthday the first year they were together."

"Now every time they fight, Naruto apologizes by giving her another diamond something-or-other to match the bracelet," a small dimple appeared in her right cheek as she recounted her friend's list of expenses. "At last count, she had the bracelet, a lavaliere, earrings, and a choker. Naruto told me that he's saving the ring for last, though. Something about wanting her to wear the entire set at their wedding. I think that's sweet."

_So that's where Hinata's diamond obsession comes from, _the Copy Nin realized.

"Um…Sakura," Kakashi said, holding the box. He remembered all too clearly Ino's certainty that Sakura was going to propose to him. "Is this what I think it is?"

The pink-haired woman grinned in excitement. "You won't know for sure until you open it," she replied. "But when I asked Naruto for his opinion, he said—considering the circumstances—this is the best gift to give you. Well, it's the best gift to give _both _of us, really."

"Circumstances? Naruto?" Kakashi echoed. A thought suddenly occurred to the Copy Nin and made his hand shake slightly. _Tsunade said that detecting pregnancy using chakra was only 75 percent accurate, _he recalled. _What if today's examination was in the 25 percent that it wasn't?_

Sakura lightly snapped her fingers in front of Kakashi's face. "Kashi?" she asked. "Why don't you get out of that trance and open my anniversary gift to you?"

The jounin blinked and looked down at the velvet box in his hand. Slowly he opened the top and took a breath. He opened his eyes after a moment and gaped at the ring he saw lying on the cream colored satin. Stunned mismatched eyes met Sakura's glowing green ones. A feline grin spread across her face at his look.

"So will you?" she asked, semi-shyly. It was hard to pull off the shy act when she was sitting in nothing but Kakashi's shirt and with a sexy grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Kakashi continued to sit in stunned silence. No matter what his imagination thought up—and his imagination was _quite _creative—nothing matched the reality of what Sakura was asking him. He looked at the ring once more and brought up a finger to trace the delicate engravings.

"_Hatake and Haruno"_

It was exactly like Ino described.

And at the same time…

It was nothing like Ino described.

Sakura's natural impatience won out and she grabbed the velvet box from Kakashi. She removed the ring from the satin and held it out to him. He stared at it as if it were a new life form. When he remained silent, she realized that he was going to make her ask him out loud and in a complete sentence.

_Damn the man and his denseness, _Sakura thought. _I'm the girl; I'm not supposed to be the one asking this._

She took in a deep breath and held the ring out to Kakashi once more. The circle of silver slipped easily over her thumb and she cupped her hand protectively over it. She cleared her throat to get his attention off of the object in her hand and on her face. It was time for green eyes to stare earnestly at the mismatched pair as she asked in a soft, but eager voice:

"Hatake Kakashi, will you move in with me?"

The muffled sound of a body falling unconscious onto the bed echoed dully through the small apartment. Sakura's brow furrowed in confusion that easily gave way to anger.

"Kakashi!" she yelled at the man who had just fainted. _Fainted_, for heaven sakes! She felt her blood boil at his reaction and forgot all about staying calm.

"WHAT THE **_HELL_**?"

**

* * *

A/N:**

HAH! Bet you didn't see _that _one coming!

Thank you all for reviewing. I didn't know that this story would become so popular when I started it.

That said…this is not the last chapter of this story. There's more to come!

Ja ne!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Naruto sat smiling and patting his full belly. The blonde 21-year-old jounin still believed that there were few things in life better than a stomach full of ramen. One of those things sat at his right, daintily slurping up the noodles of her first—and last—bowl of their meal. His bright blue eyes rested on his girlfriend of four years and a wave of contentment washed over him.

Someone poked his left arm. Naruto turned his gaze onto one of the other things he found better than a stomach full of his favorite food—for entirely different reasons than the way Hinata was better, of course. He looked past the woman seated on his left and raised his eyebrow at the dark-haired man sitting next to _her_. It was obvious that he'd missed an important part of his friend's rant.

Sasuke sighed and rested his chin in his hands. He didn't know why he always accepted their invitations to eat these days. The group either ended up at the Sweet Chestnut Shop—where he only drank the tea since he hated sweets—or here, at Ichiraku. Once in a while, the fourth member of their little dining club wanted something different and they ate at the Dango Shop or at a small sushi restaurant that was managed by a couple that didn't mind having Naruto there.

"She asked you who the hell put the idea that she was going to propose into Kakashi's head," he answered Naruto's silent question.

Naruto scrubbed the back of his head nervously and grinned at his pink-haired friend. "It was Ino who implied it," he said. "Everyone else just used their brains and figured it out."

"And how did Ino come up with that insane conclusion?" Sakura asked.

She drank the broth of her ramen and quickly ordered another one. She hadn't really eaten anything proper since the day before her anniversary. She ended up throwing the dinner she made away and the fried chicken Kakashi got yesterday was cold this morning. Since he didn't have a microwave, he couldn't heat it up, but the man ate the meat anyway.

Sakura couldn't stomach the thought of eating cold chicken in the morning.

"Well," Naruto drawled. "She overheard me and the jeweler—you know, the one who made that special ring you ordered—talking about it. We weren't specific or anything, she just assumed that we were talking about an engagement ring."

"She kept ranting about it when we all ran into Kakashi the night of your anniversary," Sasuke added. "She mentioned something about you being really traditional and not wanting to be the one to ask the question. We just followed that line of thinking until we reached the normal destination."

"But _you _knew the truth Naruto," Sakura seethed. She poked her chopsticks at his shoulder again and glared. "It was _your _idea for me to ask him."

"You've been together for a year," Naruto defended himself. "_You're _the one who said that he spends more nights at your place than his and complained that you now have the same number of _Icha Icha _books on your shelves as medical journals. It's only logical that you two move in together!"

"You and Hinata have been together for four years," Sasuke remarked. "Why aren't _you_ two living together?"

"Because Hinata's father and Neji would beat the living shit out of me," Naruto replied.

Hinata blushed slightly at the comment but nodded. "It's true," she told the Uchiha. "Neji-niisan almost killed Naruto-kun when he found out about us having…um…" Her blush deepened as she realized what she just blurted out to her friends.

A wry grin tugged at Sasuke's lips. He wanted to say something about that to mess with Naruto, but held back. He didn't want Hinata fainting or anything like that. The Uchiha decided to wait until the shy girl was gone and he and Naruto were alone before he started mocking the blonde—preferably within hearing distance of Hyuuga Neji, just to heighten the fun.

"But it was _your _idea to make it look like I was going to propose," Sakura growled. She glared at the blonde and swallowed some noodles. "You said it'd be funny to see his reaction!"

Naruto tapped his empty bowl with his chopsticks and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. An evil grin lit up his features as he turned to fully face the woman.

"And what _was _his reaction, Sakura-chan?" he drawled out. "You haven't told us that yet."

Sasuke roused himself from his musings to stare questioningly at Sakura. Hinata even lost her blush as she leaned over the bar to get a good look at the other woman's face. Naruto's grin widened as he recognized the flush on her face as either suppressed laugher or embarrassed and lusty recollections of sexual deeds.

Since he cared for Sakura like a brother—without the drawback of vomiting at the mere mention of her sex life—he sincerely hoped that it was both.

"Well?" he prodded.

Sakura ducked her head into her bowl of ramen and muttered something while stuffing her face with the noodles. Sasuke's brow furrowed, unsure if he understood her correctly, while Hinata simply frowned in confusion. Naruto, who after years of ramen consumption was a master at talking with his mouth full, heard her muttered sentence loud and clear.

Their other two companions watched in confusion as Naruto's face turned a dark pink color. Sakura was glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes and they noticed that her face was slowly darkening to match the blonde's. Hinata was about to call out for help when Naruto finally let go and began laughing. Sakura was a second behind him.

The two _kekkei genkai _wielders looked on in growing confusion as their companions began to laugh louder and harder with each passing second. Naruto was slapping the wood of the bar and howling. Sakura simply held her stomach and laughed breathlessly. They both had tears running down their cheeks and had begun to gasp for air between laughs. Sasuke raised an eyebrow after he managed to catch Naruto's gaze. When the blonde nodded in answer to his silent question, a strange thing happened.

Hinata watched in growing horror as Sasuke's lips twitched. Mirth filled the usually emotionless black orbs and made him look about eight-years-old. The twitch became a smirk and the smirk became a grin. Her lavender eyes widened as the stoic Uchiha opened his mouth and joined in the laughter. His laugh was rusty and low pitched, but just it was just as loud in volume as his ex-teammates.

_Oh Kami, _she thought as people began to stare at them strangely. _They've lost their minds. What do I do? What do I do?_ She was about to use her Jyuuken on the laughing trio when a familiar figure ducked under the short curtains to stand by the bar.

"They won't stop laughing and I don't know why!" she cried out, eager for help. "They might have trouble breathing if this keeps up. Kakashi-senpai, do_ something_!"

Kakashi stared down at his former students and sighed. He leaned his shoulder against the wall of the ramen stand and tucked his hands in his pockets. When Hinata called out his name, they paused momentarily in their laughter. Three heads slowly turned to stare at him. As one, their faces crumpled as they began to howl in amusement. The sound doubled from what it was before and Ayame, the chef's daughter, covered her ears with her hands.

The silver-haired man didn't know what was worse.

Seeing the snot-nosed Naruto pointing at him and laughing with huge guffaws, watching the proud Sasuke trying to hold in his laughter and only succeeding in making his snorts all the louder, or witnessing the amusement and hint of evil mischief in Sakura's green eyes. Kakashi's actions for the past two days gave the kunoichi more bargaining and blackmailing power than the old woman who used to baby-sit him when he was younger. Her power far exceeded even naked baby pictures and stories of going "wee-wee like a big boy."

Sasuke managed to move one seat over while in the throws of his laughter to make room for the Copy Nin. More accurately, he _fell _across the empty seat next to him and when he finally pulled himself up, the Uchiha found himself in said empty seat. Kakashi took advantage of the vacant seat in between the Uchiha and his lover and sat down. He ignored the sounds going on around him and calmly ordered a bowl of seafood ramen to go.

By this time, Hinata had her hands busy making sure her boyfriend's airways remained open. Sasuke rested his forehead in his hands and he was finally getting his snorting laughter under control. The snorting was the _exact _reason he didn't laugh often. When he laughed, the snorts just came out. It wasn't dignified for an Uchiha to laugh, let alone _snort. _But every time he almost succeeded, the image of Kakashi's eyes rolling back in his head and the lanky man swooning to the floor popped up in his mind's eye. That would just start him off on another snort-fest.

Sakura was the worst off. Her pale skin was flushed and tear tracks marked her face. She could barely get two quick breaths into her lungs before she started another two minutes of laughing. Since she was the only one who had witnessed Kakashi's reaction, Sasuke and Naruto understood her trouble. They were slightly envious of the fact that their friend not only got to see their former sensei's face, but also witnessed the sight of him _fainting _like a girl. Just a glance at the silver-haired jounin was enough to get their imaginations going on exactly _how _the man reacted to Sakura's question.

Her giggles were mostly under control when the man in question leaned over and kissed the tip of her nose.

"I see you told them our news," he murmured.

That statement, uttered in such a wry, self-deprecating tone of voice, launched the three younger members of Team 7 into another round of loud, oxygen depriving, bellyaching, tear inducing laughter.

* * *

Later, after the laughter faded and the owner, for the first time _ever, _kicked Naruto and his friends out of Ichiraku, Kakashi and Sakura walked hand in hand to their regular training grounds. Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata walked with them. Although the laughter subsided, the Copy Nin couldn't look at any of them without huge grins splitting the younger jounins' faces. When Naruto explained the situation to his girlfriend, Hinata reacted unexpectedly. She simply responded to the news that Hatake Kakashi _fainted_ by snorting disdainfully and giving him strange half amused, half pitying looks. 

"So are you two moving in together or what?" Naruto asked.

His arm was slung over Hinata's shoulders and the pearly-eyed kunoichi glanced at the couple from under the crook of his arm. Kakashi took his free hand out of his pocket and twirled a silver key ring around his index finger. He caught the dog tag sized charm in his palm and dangled the matching silver key in front of the blonde.

"What do you think, Naruto?" Kakashi asked, lazily.

"Cool!" Naruto said. Before the older man could blink, the key ring was in the blonde's grasp and he was showing it to his girlfriend. Hinata took the object from her boyfriend and examined the silver plate.

Engraved on one side were the kanji for 'leaf warrior' and 'spring,' which translated to _Hatake and Haruno, _respectively. The Hyuuga felt something slightly raised on the other side of the key chain and turned it around. Amusement lit her features as she saw the small clock that was delicately worked into the silver. She looked at the lower left corner and her eyes widened as she recognized the jeweler's mark.

"This gift was very expensive, Sakura-chan," she remarked. Her smile tilted higher in one corner and the others recognized a Naruto smirk cover her face. She threw the key chain at Kakashi, who caught it. "And very well thought out."

Sakura laughed and let go of her lover's hand. She slid her arm around his waist instead and leaned over so that she could see her fellow kunoichi. "He doesn't bother to carry any of the other watches we give him," she said. "But now he won't have a reason not to carry _this _one—not if he doesn't want to get locked out of the house, that is."

"I could always break in," Kakashi drawled.

"If you don't want Sakura to skin you, then you'd better not," Naruto warned.

"Women are particular about things like that," Sasuke murmured from his position on the far side of the group.

It was obvious that he was only half-listening to the conversation when he continued in his low voice. "You can't break into their houses—even if it's to surprise them; you can't crash on their couches after a difficult mission when they're not home or expecting you; you can't eat the food they have on the table unless they specifically tell you it's for _you._"

All four leaf nin heard the uncharacteristic muttering and turned to keep the Uchiha in their sights. Sasuke was deep in thought and didn't notice the stunned looks he got. The raven-haired man kept walking with his hands in his pockets and his eyes downcast.

"And since _when _do you know so much about women, teme? Did Sasuke-_chan _finally get his first girlfriend?" Naruto asked slyly. Deep blue eyes widened when the jab failed to get a rise from Sasuke. "Hey, Sasuke! Did you hear me? When did you stop being an asexual prick?"

Sasuke suddenly turned around and frowned at Sakura and Hinata. "If you came home and found a man sleeping on your couch, you wouldn't screech loud enough to wake the dead and then beat him with a broom without checking who it was first, would you?"

The question shocked the group and the girls exchanged confused glances.

"Well," Hinata dragged out. "Of course I would check to see who it was."

"And after seeing if he was hurt or not, I wouldn't screech loud enough to wake the dead," Sakura added. "I wouldn't hit him with a broom either."

"See?" Sasuke asked. He raised his arms as if arguing with someone and pointed at the women. "_They _get it! But then again, they're kunoichi. They would never attack a sleeping man without checking out who it was and _never _with a broom."

"They'd use kunai instead," Kakashi interrupted.

"Yes, but then I'd sense the danger and expect that," Sasuke replied. He shot the older ninja a "well…_duh!_" look. The others were confused at this sudden conversation, but the Uchiha acted as if they were having a completely sane discussion.

"A civilian woman is completely different! Collapse on her couch injured a few times and she starts with the tears; break into her house _once _and you almost get arrested and called a stalker! I _knew _I should've chosen a kunoichi, but they can't cook half as well as civilian women," Sasuke retreated back into himself as he frowned. "They won't stay home with the children either. They have missions of their own and can't do it."

"Umm…" Sakura said. "Sasuke…what the_ **hell **_are you talking about?"

Sasuke lowered his arms and panic flew across his face as he realized what he revealed and shared in the past few minutes. His stoic mask fell in place a moment too late and he shifted his gaze down and to the left. His hands dug into his pockets and he shifted his weight onto his left hip.

"Nothing," he muttered.

"It doesn't sound like nothing," Kakashi said. A trace of amusement found its way into his voice and he exchanged a sly look with Naruto.

"Looks like Kakashi isn't the only one with women troubles," Naruto taunted. "Who is she Sasuke and why haven't you introduced us yet?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I understand why Sakura skipped out on training with us yesterday morning," the blonde continued. "And Kakashi was running around trying to arrange things so that he could make up with her. But I was wondering why _you _showed up late."

"Sasuke-kun was _late_?" Kakashi asked in a feigned shocked tone. "For _training? _But Sasuke-kun _loves_ to train!"

Naruto nodded and enjoyed the disgruntled look on his friend's face. "And he was extremely cranky the whole time, too," he informed the group. "He had these strange scratches across his face and neck. But I suppose those were from the broom hitting him."

"Who is she, Sasuke?" Sakura asked. "Is she someone we know?" Now that the conversation was off of her and Kakashi's relationship, she was eager to focus on the personal lives of her former teammates. She'd forgone a lot of things planning for the disastrous anniversary dinner. Gossip was one of the things she dearly missed.

"I'm not telling you idiots a thing," Sasuke said. He folded his arms across his chest and fought to recover his lost dignity. Sakura, Naruto, and Hinata exchanged a glance and shared a sly smile. Sasuke barely had time to blink before he was surrounded by his fellow jounin.

"Please tell us, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura pouted, holding onto his right arm. She pressed up against him and blinked wide, green eyes at the man. She laid her head on his bicep and stuck her lower lip out slightly. "We're not going to hurt her, you know."

"W-we just want to know so that we can invite her to one of our dinners," Hinata stuttered. "If she's special to you, then she has to be our friend as well." Sasuke almost stepped back when she pressed herself against his side and he found himself holding most of her bosom in the crook of his left arm. Only the knowledge that the action would expose his discomfort kept him from doing so. He didn't know that the mostly still shy Hinata could look up at him with such doe eyes.

Naruto stood in front of his rival and planted his hands on his hips. He grinned at the antics of the two women and nodded his approval of their tactics. Behind him, Kakashi simply shook his head and pulled out his ever handy copy of _Icha Icha Paradise Volume XIV: Paradise's Triangle. _The blonde smirked at the ever-so-slight glaze of panic in Sasuke's eyes.

"You might as well tell us, teme," he said. "Otherwise you might find something in you bed one night soon."

"I thought you were past the age of pranks," Sasuke replied. He ignored the soft swells of woman pressed against him and focused on the blonde instead.

"One is _never _past the age of pranks," Kakashi called out from behind his orange book.

"Kakashi's right," Naruto agreed. "Besides, I never said that it would be an _unpleasant _thing. Just imagine it…" The blue-eyed jounin spread his hands in front of him and an unholy light appeared in his eyes. Sweat formed on Sasuke's back at the look in his friend's eyes.

"You and your lady are coming home after a romantic dinner for a little late night _coffee,_" thin blonde eyebrows rose slightly on the last word for a little innuendo, "You're holding each other, kissing softly, and making your way to the bedroom. Each of you is tugging at the other's clothes, wanting them off so that you can finally touch—skin to skin. A soft sigh echoes through the air. 'Oh, Sasuke-kun!'"

More eyebrows rose at Naruto's detailed statement. Kakashi looked down at the book in his hand. The scene his former student painted sounded awfully close to one he'd just read. Sakura and Sasuke turned to Hinata and the woman blushed. She whispered a quick aside that only the two jounin could hear.

"He helps Jiraiya-sama write his books now," she admitted. "It's a long story, but it's gotten to the point where Naruto-kun gets paid as Jiraiya-sama's ghostwriter."

Naruto ignored the looks he was getting. He was in the zone and he wasn't going to stop now.

"You finally make it to the bedroom," he continued. "By now, you both are so eager; you don't even turn on the light. You simply tumble your way to the bed. You've taken that path so many times in the dark that it's second nature to you now. Heavily, you fall onto the mattress, but keep on kissing your lady. You're the gentleman, of course, and fall so that she lands on top of you. Her body presses against yours intimately and you don't really mind the fact that you're having a bit of trouble breathing. You'd gladly suffocate if it meant getting to the woman you need tonight."

Sasuke and Sakura's mouths dropped open at their teammate's description. Hinata had already gone through that stage and was on to one of her trademark blushes—although a sly gleam in her eye betrayed the fact that Naruto would probably get to act out his scene later. Kakashi's book dropped to the ground and he had to lean back against the tree behind him for support. All four had small drops of blood leaking from their noses.

"You both shift so that you can lie next to each other, but wait! There's something taking up most of the bed," Naruto's grin widened as he came back from his zone and remembered why he'd started the scene in the first place.

"Imagine the shock in your lady's eyes as a pale _feminine _shoulder emerges from the sheets on the other side of the bed. The shoulder is followed by a head of golden blonde hair. Your lady's eyes widen as the head turns to reveal the face of a blue-eyed beauty. The beauty's own eyes fill with pain as she sits up, holding the sheets to her so as not to reveal her naked body. You both hear the pain in her voice as she asks, with tears flowing down her cheeks, 'Sasuke-kun, _why_?'"

"Your lady figures out what has happened and stumbles to her feet. Tears fill her eyes now as she glares down at you. 'You cold-hearted bastard!' she cries. She runs from the room. You try to follow her, but it's no use, the blonde has a hold of your arm and you cannot follow," Naruto placed one hand over his heart and the other in front of him in a gesture of pleading. "You look back at the blonde and find not a beautiful woman, but a beautiful _man_! Me! Uzumaki Naruto! Oh, Sasuke-kun, how can you treat your lovers so?"

The sound of soft clapping broke the silence after Naruto's declaration. The blonde turned and bowed to his former sensei. Sakura couldn't take it anymore and added her own applause to Kakashi's. Hinata simply blushed. Sasuke stood in shock as Naruto continued bowing to his friends. He stood up straight and stared at the Uchiha.

"Well what do you think about _that, _teme?" he asked. "If you don't want that to happen, then I suggest you spill the beans on who your girlfriend is."

Panic filled the raven-haired man for a moment. Then he realized that this was _Naruto. _The blonde wouldn't hurt an innocent person intentionally for the sake of a prank. That certainty allowed him to replace his old mantle of arrogance and smirk.

"You'd never go through with it," he said. "You hate hurting other people like that. You'd never hurt her that way."

"AHA!" Naruto shouted triumphantly. "Now we know FOR SURE that you have a girlfriend. You said it yourself!"

"Now all we have to do is follow you wherever you go," Sakura said smugly. "You're bound to meet up with her sooner or later. Probably sooner if you haven't apologized to her yet."

_**CRAP.**_

Sasuke dropped his head in defeat. He knew his former teammates would use every trick in the book to try and find the identity of his girlfriend. They'd probably put the same energy into it as they once had in trying to see the face of their sensei.

"Fine…" he sighed. "Her name is Maya and she works at that sushi restaurant we sometimes go to."

"So it's decided then," Hinata said firmly. "Next time we have dinner, Maya-chan will go with us!"

Two voices shouted out in approval while Sasuke hid a small, relieved smirk. Kakashi retrieved his book from the ground and absently dusted it off. He turned to Sasuke and raised his eyebrow.

"You might want to warn her about what kind of _family _you have, Sasuke," Kakashi drawled. He glanced at the animated talking of Sakura and Naruto and grinned when his lover slapped the blonde upside the head. "They might be a bit much for a civilian to handle."

**

* * *

A/N:**

Sorry about the wait…small case of writer's block. The midsummer doldrums got a hold of me and I spent the past week sleeping all day and devouring anime by night. I couldn't type a sentence to save my life.

Well I'm done with that chapter! Hope you liked it…things will pick up again the next time with more Sakura x Kakashi moments.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Kakashi grunted as he placed another wooden plank on the skeleton structure he built in one of the stronger trees in the Hyuuga compound. He'd just finished the base for the tree house he'd promised—been blackmailed—to make. Now he just had to nail the floorboards to the wood and then he could move easier until his task was complete. The only problem was that he didn't know how to complete the task with the distractions he had at the moment.

"Hatake-san! Hatake-san!" a loud, whiny voice called out. "Are you sure that I can't help you? After all, I'm strong! Papa said so and I carry his cooking pots all the time!"

"It's alright, Hyuuga-bocchama," Kakashi gritted out. The honorific left his mouth automatically—the kid may be a nuisance, but he was part of the Head Family. "Just stay down there with your little brother and watch."

The jounin could think of so many other pleasant things he could be doing on a Saturday morning. Cuddling with his lover in their home was the topmost in his thoughts. Though they've only been living together for about two weeks now, Kakashi couldn't be happier. Although their profession hampered any protracted and meaningful interactions with each other, he felt a comfort in coming home after missions to see his clutter mixed in with Sakura's.

Naruto and Sakura were right. They'd practically been living together before Sakura asked him to formally move in. He didn't put much thought into the fact that most of his possessions managed to migrate over to her larger, cozier apartment over the past year. The enormity of it didn't even register on the Copy Nin until he took a day off to move the rest of his things to Sakura's place. He'd expected to bring at least three boxes back with him.

He only had enough to pack one.

The contents of that one box were his shuriken printed bed sheets, some training scrolls, and a pile of dirty laundry. All of his _Icha Icha _books were at Sakura's—with the exception of the volume he carried with him and even _that_ changed periodically. His photos of Team 7 and his old team with the Yondaime, Obito, and Rin were currently on Sakura's coffee table. Even the broken blade of his father's sword was safely tucked away in the pink-haired woman's house before he accepted her proposal to move in.

Their days might be spent on missions and their duty to their village, but the nights were a different story. The passion that they held between them was as strong as ever. The emotional closeness they shared was even stronger now. There wasn't a morning that passed by that Kakashi didn't hold Sakura close to his chest and thank Kami for the aggressive female in his arms.

Kurenai, thankfully, was the only one of his older jounin friends that noticed this aspect of Kakashi's personality. If any of the others found out about his softness concerning Sakura, he'd never hear the end of it and the reputation he'd spent years perfecting would be ruined. Love was a wonderful feeling, but losing his dignity to it was something he'd never want to experience more than once.

A shadow nipped at the back of his mind, but Kakashi ignored it. Although the past few weeks had been wonderful, there was a certain tension between him and his lover. He didn't know if it was lingering resentment over the whole anniversary debacle or if it was just the reality of suddenly having a _real _roommate to deal with, but Kakashi felt as if something were slightly wrong with their relationship. The feeling was too nebulous to put into words and even if he did find them, he doubted that he'd share the feeling with Sakura. He wasn't a talkative man to begin with anyway.

They'd just patched up their relationship; he didn't want to rock the boat again so soon. For some reason, the woman was moodier than normal. He again passed it off as stress from work or their new living arrangements. His instincts kept telling him that something was off or that something was wrong with Sakura, but until he could pinpoint exactly what it was, he couldn't do more than mull things over. When he almost hit his hand with his hammer, the Copy Nin decided to stop thinking about his private life and start working on the task at hand.

_The sooner I finish, the better, _he groused.

Kakashi worked for a few more hours before it dawned on him that he hadn't heard a single "I can _too _help, Hatake-san!" for a while. From his experience with Team 7, Kakashi knew that complete silence from pre-teens was never a good sign. He warily put down his hammer and looked over a tree branch and towards the direction he knew the little shi—_angels_—were in. The sight that met his eyes simultaneously made him smile and made his brow furrow.

Sakura sat with both of the Chef's boys. The younger one was in her lap while the older—noisier—one was kneeling next to her. The boys were eagerly sharing a box of bento—hence the brow furrow—while Sakura leaned back on her hands and smiled softly at their antics—hence the smile. It was obvious that she came over to share lunch with him. But it was also obvious that the little monst—_children_—were going to eat with them.

Erasing all traces of annoyance from his face, Kakashi loudly stood up and stretched. He used chakra to stick to the tree trunk as he slung the toolbox over his shoulder and walked down to the ground. He continued walking until he reached the trio and stared down at them with one hand in his pocket.

"Is it time for lunch already?" he asked.

"Uh-huh!" the younger Hyuuga called out around a mouthful of rice. "Sakura-chan brought enough for everyone!"

Sakura laughed and leaned back. When the little Hyuuga said 'everyone,' he spread his arms out impossibly wide and almost smacked his hand into her face. She snuggled the small body to her own and grinned up at Kakashi. If she knew him, he'd be beyond annoyed by the boys' behavior—not that he'd ever show it. Taking pity on him—and wanting to be alone with him—she patted the boy's head and waited until two pairs of pearly eyes looked at her.

"Why don't you finish the bento inside, hmm?" she asked. "I have some business with Hatake-san."

"Is it ninja business?" the elder Hyuuga asked. He just got accepted into the Ninja Academy and was eager to know everything. Sakura recognized the light in the boy's eyes and promptly shook her head.

"Nope," she said. "This is kissy-kissy, romantic, couple business."

"Like in the movies our nee-san watches?" the younger boy asked. Sakura nodded and a look of disgust passed over the boys' features. They politely made their excuses and left. Kakashi smirked and put down the toolbox. He sat next to Sakura and placed an arm around her shoulders. They sat in silence for a moment, but Kakashi sighed and turned to her in defeat.

"What does Tsunade want now?" he asked.

"How do you know I don't have kissy-kissy, romantic, couple business with you?" Sakura asked, laughing.

"Because you don't use words like kissy-kissy in everyday conversation, Sakura," Kakashi answered. "Now what does she want?"

"There's a meeting at the Hokage Tower that you have to attend at four o'clock today," Sakura looked at the mostly completed tree house and frowned. "Four o'clock _sharp. _None of that trademark tardiness that you so love to display."

"Great," Kakashi drawled.

He removed his arm from Sakura's shoulders to pick up the bento box she brought him. He was eager to see what shape she put his furikake in this time. Ever since the moment he first ate lunch with the pink-haired kunoichi, she had a habit of shaping the flavored powder on her rice into strange shapes. Once, when she was still courting Sasuke, she made a particularly elaborate bento for the boy and sprinkled the furikake into the Uchiha Clan crest.

Kakashi wasn't disappointed when he opened his bento and Konoha's leaf symbol greeted him from a bed of white rice and sashimi. He said a quick prayer of thanks and proceeded to eat. Sakura leaned her head on her hand and watched as he quickly scarfed down all of the food she brought him. They both knew that it was more out of habit than necessity that he ate so fast. There were no chakra signatures around them for at least 5 yards and none were in range to see his face.

"It's important that you're there, Kakashi," she warned her lover. The air of tenseness he felt around her strengthened a bit and he slowed down eating. "You have to be on time."

"Is there a mission set up or is this something else?" he asked between bites.

"It's the second one," she admitted. "I'll be there for the first part of the meeting. I can't stay for the entire thing because I'm working the graveyard shift tonight, so it's absolutely _important _for you to be on time. I have a report for you and Tsunade-shishou that will change your standing and your duties on the Council."

It wasn't widely known that the silver-haired elite jounin was on the Village Council. Just as it wasn't widely known that, in the event of Tsunade's untimely death, Hatake Kakashi was voted to be the next Hokage, unless another worthy candidate was brought forth. If a certain blonde ninja knew that fact, he'd go ballistic. But he'd be pleased to know that Tsunade kept pushing for Naruto to be named her successor instead; an idea Kakashi heartily endorsed since he didn't want the work of the Hokage.

For the most part, the majority of the Council got over the fact that Naruto was the Kyuubi's container and trusted him to protect the village. After the war with Sound and bringing Uchiha Sasuke back to Konoha, they'd be stupid to _ever _question Naruto's loyalty to their village. But they all believed that he was still too inexperienced as a ninja to become Hokage at the moment. If he continued excelling as Captain for his ANBU squad and completing missions with both speed and skill, and Tsunade didn't unexpectedly retire in the meantime, the Council was willing to reconsider the blonde for succession in around seven years.

Even Tsunade had to agree to that time frame; a 21-year-old Hokage _was_ a bit too much to take in. The youngest Hokage had been the Yondaime—and he was 31 when he took up that responsibility.

"Politics again…" Kakashi sighed.

"You _are _the last living member of the Hatake Clan and automatically part of the Council," Sakura reminded, eating her own bento. She knew that Kakashi hated politics and the tediousness of sitting through meetings. But ever since she found out about his seat on the ruling body of their village, she pressed and nagged him to go more often. Kakashi grunted and took a drink of the water bottle Sakura brought with the lunch.

"Not to mention that you're the proxy vote for the Kazama Clan until the heir meets the requirements," Sakura continued. She slid a sly glance at her lover. "What _are _the requirements anyway, Kashi-kun?"

"Funny…" Kakashi drawled, scratching his elbow. "Your usual question after reminding me of the proxy is: Who _is _the Kazama Clan Heir anyway, Kashi-kun?"

Sakura ignored the way he pitched his voice higher on the last part of his sentence. She did _not _sound like that at all. Instead, she took a few more bites of her lunch. When the silence around them stretched, she sighed.

"You're never going to tell me the answer to either question, are you?" she asked.

"I don't think that it's fair for me to tell you before I tell _him _who he is and what his duties to the village and his clan are," Kakashi stated. He leaned back on his elbows and hid a grin at the shocked look on Sakura's face.

"You haven't _told _the heir that he's the Heir yet?"

"There was never a good time to," Kakashi admitted. He rolled his head on his shoulders and groaned when Sakura moved her hands to massage the tense muscles.

"First we were waiting for him to grow up. Then there was the Sand/Sound attack; Itachi's wonderful success at making me a real-life scarecrow for a few months; still more waiting for the Kazuma boy to grow up; the war with Sound; Orochimaru's defeat; Sasuke's rehabilitation; the missions _I _had to go on in the meantime; letting a certain pink-haired beauty catch me; and all of those new volumes of _Icha Icha _to read. I couldn't possibly fit 'grooming the Heir of the Kazama Clan for the Council' into my schedule."

Sakura eyes glazed over at his list of events, but she zeroed in on one point in particular.

"So you _let _me catch you, huh?" she remarked.

"Of course."

"Arrogant."

"Just a little bit."

They finished their lunch in companionable silence. Before Sakura left, she kissed his masked lips and smirked up into his lone eye.

"Remember, Kashi-kun, four o'clock _sharp. _If you're late, I'm going to have to hurt you," Sakura's eyes narrowed as she took in his distracted wave and half-lidded eye. To make sure that he knew she meant what she said she added, "If you're more than fifteen minutes late, I'll burn three of your _Icha Icha _books."

The kunoichi spared the time to see her lover's visible eye widen until it looked like a dinner plate before she disappeared in a shower of sakura blossoms.

_That ought to bring him there on time, _she thought smugly.

* * *

Kakashi looked up from his hammering and stared at the sky. According to the position of the sun, it was about 3:45. He had plenty of time to pack the tools away, take a quick shower, and show up at the Hokage Palace. He began placing the tools in the toolbox as he thought about what the meeting could be about. With Sakura there, giving him and Tsunade a report, it could concern the medicinal plants that grew on Kazama Clan territory or even the plants that grew on Hatake territory.

He thought back to his childhood days and the Hatake Compound on the west side of the village. Much like the Hyuuga Compound he was in now or the Uchiha District Sasuke haunted these days, the Hatake Clan had its own gated portion of land. Kakashi usually meant to air out the place every few years, but as the last living member of his Clan, it was a huge undertaking. It was too personal a task for him to ask others to help him and he didn't want people to remember how influential his clan once was. As such, he hadn't gone through the halls of his childhood home in at least five years.

A familiar chakra signature intruded on his thoughts and caused Kakashi to turn around. He stood up and bowed to the stern man known as Hyuuga Hiashi.

"Good afternoon, Hyuuga-sama," Kakashi greeted.

"Good afternoon, Hatake-sama," Hiashi replied. His use of the honorific reminded Kakashi that they were on equal footing on the social hierarchy. "I understand that you will attend the Council meeting tonight?"

"Yes," he answered. "Sakura came by earlier to remind me."

"You are lucky to have so dedicated a woman," the Hyuuga commented. Hiashi's stern face softened a bit at the mention of the pink-haired kunoichi. If things were different, he would have arranged a marriage between her and his nephew two years ago.

"She's not my woman," Kakashi chuckled. "She'd punch you on principle if she heard you say that. She's more of a complete partner than anything else."

"Yes…" Hiashi trailed off as he brought the conversation back to its original purpose. "About the meeting…it's been changed to 8 o'clock tonight. There are some scrolls that Nara Shikaku is supposed to bring and he forgot that they were in his Clan's medical facilities in the mountains. He left an hour ago and won't be back until 7, at the latest."

"I understand," Kakashi nodded. Nara Shikaku rushing to retrieve medical scrolls told the Copy Nin that Sakura's role in tonight's meeting definitely had to do with her skills as the third ranked healer in Konoha.

"It seems you've made considerable progress on the tree house," Hiashi complemented. He looked up at the more than half-finished structure and grunted. "Perhaps now they will spend their time in there rather than in the Main House."

Kakashi knew that he wasn't supposed to hear the muttered sentence and kept his smirk to himself. Since the meeting time changed, he decided to finish boarding up the walls of the tree house before it got too dark. Taking out the hammer, he imagined the head of the nails were little Hyuuga-bocchamas and pounded away.

* * *

"He'll _be _here."

Tsunade sighed for the fifth time and refrained from tapping her fingers on the counter next to her. The slim hands on the wall clock in front of her read '4:17.' The Copy Nin was officially late for their meeting.

"Why can't we conduct this meeting in my office?" she asked. "Or better yet, why can't your report wait until the Council meeting at 5?"

"Because when you hear my report, you might have to add a few more items to the Council's agenda," was Sakura's answer. "Besides, the subject of the report I have to give you is extremely sensitive and can only be fully understood here."

The blonde raised a delicately arched eyebrow. The location of the 'here' the rosette-haired young woman spoke of was the small side office off of Tsunade's larger one. While the blonde Hokage filled out her paperwork and assigned major missions from the comfort of her padded office chair, this smaller room was reserved for her more scientific pursuits. It contained no padded furniture to speak of—with the exception of the examination table in the center of the room.

They waited for ten more minutes. As they did, the look of impatience on Sakura's face changed to one of anger. She _told _Kakashi that he couldn't be late for this meeting. She even threatened his book collection. The kunoichi couldn't believe that he was thirty minutes late for this. The anger gave a bit when she thought of the possibility of her lover being hurt, but it bounced back when she remembered that the only thing he had planned for today was building that tree house for the Hyuuga Chef.

**_I am _definitely _burning a few of his books,_**Inner Sakura ranted.

"Sakura," Tsunade sighed when the clock read '4:30.' "I'm afraid that I can't spare anymore time for this today. I have to get some documents together for tonight's meeting and you have the graveyard shift tonight at the hospital."

"I _need_ to give you this report, shishou," Sakura insisted. "Both you and Kakashi need to know about this."

"Why don't you leave the report to me and tell Kakashi verbally what's going on?" Tsunade said, already standing up and stretching. If she pushed the younger woman out of her office fast enough, then she'd have enough time for a cup of sake before the Council meeting. "We can talk tomorrow about it. Is 11:30 good for you? If you drag that man along with you, then he won't be late, hmm? Then you can go out for lunch afterwards."

Sakura bit her lip. She'd wanted to reveal her findings to both of them at once so that she wouldn't have to repeat herself. The news would change a lot of things for the Hatake Clan. But she knew how important the Council meetings were to Tsunade.

"Alright," she conceded. Sakura placed a scroll on the counter. "Please read that after the Council meeting. I don't want it to interfere with your thoughts until the three of us have spoken."

The Hokage nodded and placed the scroll in her jacket. Sakura bowed and left to find her tardy lover. All was silent for a few moments before Shizune came in through a side door.

"Tsunade-sama," she said. "Nara Shikaku sent a message earlier."

"What is it?" Tsunade asked.

"He had to retrieve a few scrolls from his family's medical facilities in the mountains and requested that the Council meeting be moved to 8 o'clock tonight," Shizune answered. "The other Council members agreed."

"The meeting was pushed back _three hours_?" the Hokage snapped. "Why didn't you come and tell me sooner? I wouldn't have told Sakura to go."

"Sakura-chan requested that no one disturb your meeting," Shizune said. "She said that Kakashi would just come in anyway, but anything else had to wait until she left."

"Oh. So the meeting isn't until 8 o'clock…" Tsunade murmured. The dark haired medic stepped back when her teacher began to laugh. "_That's _why he didn't show! He thought that the meeting was pushed back! Poor Hatake…Sakura's going to rip him a new one and he won't even know why!"

**

* * *

A/N:**

Sorry for the long wait. I've had a bit of writer's block for all of my stories. This chapter came to me in spurts and starts…

Kakashi's gonna be in the doghouse again…for another misunderstanding. The guy just can't get a break.

Ah, but for the grace of a writer's whims goes he…


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Sakura had to work the graveyard shift at the hospital tonight, but she still had to stop off by her apartment to pick up her bento and change her clothes. She knew that she should have slept during the day so that she could be more awake for her shift, but she had to speak with Tsunade and Kakashi as soon as possible. Unfortunately, her plans didn't work out and she consequently spent the day doing nothing but wasting time.

She _hated _when that happened.

Kicking the door to her home open, she sighed. The green-eyed woman knew that, although she wasn't feeling especially tired _now,_ by the time it was 2 am she would droop faster than Neji after a spoonful of Lee's curry. She placed her keys in the shallow seashell she kept near the door and trudged to her and Kakashi's room to change.

The sight that met her eyes simultaneously angered and pleased her.

Kakashi stood, mask-less and naked from the waist up, staring at his clothes hanging in her closet. She knew he felt her presence and walked up to him. When she placed her arms around him from behind, he relaxed a bit. He was about to pat her hands affectionately when nails dug into his abdomen and he grunted in surprise. Sakura let him go and spun him around so fast that he stepped back a few steps.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"What's _wrong_?" Sakura parroted. "Are you _serious_? It's almost 5:15! You completely missed our meeting! Furthermore, you're fifteen minutes late for your _Council _meeting!"

"No…I wasn't…" Kakashi trailed off. Sakura noticed that the look on his face was one of genuine confusion instead of that stupid fake innocence he put on whenever he was intentionally late. "Hyuuga-sama told me—"

"Hyuuga-sama?" Sakura interrupted. "What does he have anything to do about this?"

"He told me that the Council meeting was pushed back to 8 o'clock because of some scrolls Nara Shikaku had to get," Kakashi continued. "Since the Nara Clan is mostly into medicine, I thought that your report had to do with that."

"No," Sakura said. "My meeting was with you and Tsunade-shishou alone. The news just would've affected your standing on the Council. Besides, I told you to meet me at 4. The Council meeting was supposed to start at 5. It was perfect because it gave me time to talk to you two and you could place my findings on the Agenda."

"Really?" Kakashi scratched his head and then his abdomen. "So I missed what you had to tell Tsunade. I'm sorry about that. I thought that you wanted to address the entire Council."

Sakura deflated a bit. It seemed that her life was full of misunderstandings and miscommunication these days. It wasn't Kakashi's fault that he thought she was going to speak to the entire Council. She didn't really give him any reason _not _to think that. She ran her hand through her hair and stepped up to their closet. Pulling out her hospital uniform and the silver yukata Kakashi wore the day after their anniversary, she placed both outfits on the bed.

"It's alright," she said, not looking up. "I didn't really tell you that our meeting was separate from the Council's."

"You _were _kind of vague, Sakura," Kakashi agreed. He hugged the woman and rested his chin on her head. "That's not like you. You've been acting strange lately. You're more distracted than normal and your chakra feels weaker for some reason."

"It's just a bit of stress," Sakura said as she stiffened. She hugged him back, but there was a hesitancy in the movement that worried the man. "Tsunade-shishou told me to give you my report and we'll all talk about it tomorrow at 11:30."

"So tell me," he said. Kakashi let go of her and turned to get the red turtleneck he wore with the yukata. He watched as she began changing and leaned against the wall.

"I can't," Sakura paused in buttoning the cream-colored hospital uniform all resident doctors wore at the hospital. "It would only interfere with your meeting if I told you now. I gave Tsunade-shishou a scroll with the report in it. I also gave her instructions not to read it until after the Council convenes."

"Then when am I supposed to hear the details of this report?" There was no malice or sarcasm in his voice; it was just a simple question. But Sakura reacted as if he insulted her mother and then kneed her father in the groin.

"If you had _been _there on _time_, then you would have heard it this **_afternoon_**!" Sakura snapped. She saw the narrowed eye of her lover and placed a weary hand to her forehead. Sakura knew she was overreacting. After they made up, she made a vow to herself not to blame Kakashi for little misunderstandings or for things that he couldn't control. The woman took a few breaths and sighed. When she opened her eyes, contrition and embarrassment filled them.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm just stressed."

"I can see that." Again, there was no malice or ill will in Kakashi's voice as he walked over to his love. He gently rubbed her temples and murmured one of the few medical jutsus he knew to relieve her headache.

"If you come by the hospital after the Council adjourns, I can give you that report," Sakura sighed. Kakashi was gentle and sure with his chakra. If his temperament were a bit different, he would've made an excellent medic nin. "If I'm not too busy stitching up some ninja's wounds or delivering another baby, that is. Did you know that at any given moment, at least 1/3 of the civilian women in Konoha are _days _away from giving birth? I had Shikamaru look at the data and do the math for me. I swear, two days ago all of that 1/3 was at the hospital. I never knew that the people of our village were so prolific, horny, and utterly incapable of using contraceptives."

"With the shinobi death rate it's not surprising. Also, after the war with Sound, we need a little population explosion," Kakashi murmured.

"But why does it have to explode the _one year _I have my residency?" Sakura whined.

"Just think of the joys ahead of you when it's time for immunizations, flu shots, and the inevitable tide of chicken pox," he joked.

"Don't remind me…" she moaned. She gently moved his fingers from her temple when the jutsu did its job.

"I guess they really work the residents hard at the hospital," Kakashi relented when Sakura began to dig the heels of her hands into her eye sockets.

"You bet your ass they do. When I'm not on a mission, it seems I'm there," Sakura snorted. A pout appeared on the younger woman's face that Kakashi found quite adorable. "It's not fair; I've missed out on the past two Dinner Nights with the guys. Naruto and Hinata got to meet Sasuke's girlfriend. I _still _haven't met her yet."

"Maya-chan _is _rather nice," Kakashi murmured. His eye creased when Sakura punched him—not so lightly—in the stomach and turned burning green eyes up to glare at him. "What? Just because _you're _busy in the hospital means that _I_ can't go out to dinner with friends?"

"Not when they were _my _friends first," Sakura argued, ignoring the fact that it sounded completely childish. "And not especially when _you _get to meet Sasuke's girlfriend before me, you jerk!"

"You'll meet her," Kakashi said. "Sasuke said something about maybe dropping by the hospital tonight with her to say hi. Apparently, she's been pestering him about finally meeting the oh-so-interesting 'Sakura-chan' Naruto and Hinata are always talking about."

A thin pink eyebrow rose gently. "Naruto and Hinata are the only ones talking about me?" she asked.

Kakashi absently scratched his bare chin as he stared at the ceiling. "I _may _have said a few things about you, as well," he answered.

"All of them good I hope," she commented. Knowing Naruto, not everything Maya heard about her was exactly complementary. She didn't even have to worry about Hinata; the woman almost never said a cross word about anybody. In fact, one of the few exceptions was the night Kakashi forgot their anniversary. Kakashi stopped scratching his chin and glanced at his lover. A wry smile curled his lips and his eyes danced with amusement.

"You know," he drawled. "I can't really remember exactly _what _I said."

Husky laughter filled the bedroom as Sakura tackled Kakashi and swore vengeance against his all too convenient memory loss.

**(SCENE CHANGE)**

Laughter was the furthest thing from Hatake Kakashi's mind as he sat in his chair as the Council meeting hit it's two-hour mark. The few Council members who didn't have close ties to the shinobi community were rallying to get rid of Naruto again. He, and the majority of Council members, knew what an asset the blonde and his utter devotion was to the village. They'd seen first hand—or heard from their children and grandchildren—the young man's bravery and passion to protect his home and the people who reviled him.

"He's an abomination!" one old man yelled. Kakashi wondered why the overweight noble felt the need to raise his voice when he already had the floor and everyone was paying attention to him anyway. "He's a threat to our village and our people. Now that he's old enough, the demon will want to spawn. Our women will be in even _more_ danger! Not to mention, that it's because of him that our Yondaime was taken from us. If that demon hadn't attacked, then we'd still have the Kazama seat on this Council filled."

Kakashi lazily raised his hand and waited to be acknowledged. When Tsunade nodded her head at him, he stood up and walked into the center of the room. He looked around at the members of the Council seated behind their tables. Some of them were his peers, others his elders; a few were even his friends. He kept his signature lazy posture and began speaking in a strong voice.

"First of all, Uzumaki Naruto is not the same demon who attacked our village almost 22 years ago," Kakashi reminded. "The Yondaime willingly gave up his life to save ours and the parents of the child he sealed the Kyuubi into willingly gave up the life of their son to protect all of us."

"But the brat still lives!" the overweight noble shouted from his seat.

"You do not have the floor, Ahoun-san," Tsunade interrupted. She turned a steely-eyed gaze at the man, who shrank visibly in his seat. When she was certain that he would remain silent for at least the next few minutes, she motioned for Kakashi to continue.

"Naruto may live, but no one here can say that he's had a normal life. As soon as he was named as the container for the Kyuubi, his life was essentially over, but he's taken that fate and changed it," Kakashi countered. "He's grown up with nothing but scorn, but still he's the good man he is. He's had more reason to leave Konoha and join the enemy than anyone, and yet he's the one who brought back Uchiha Sasuke from Orochimaru. You cannot doubt that he will protect this village to his dying breath."

"Second of all, the Kazama seat on this Council is _not _empty. Please remember that _I _am the proxy for the Heir until he is ready to take his place," Kakashi raised an eyebrow and waited for the nobleman to nod his acceptance of that fact. "As for Naruto endangering the lives of the village women…I don't think that that is even an issue at the moment."

"The boy's a demon," Ahoun replied. "He won't be happy with just one woman."

"I thought that I just reminded you that Naruto is _not _a demon," Kakashi admonished softly.

"Uzumaki Naruto is the most exceptional and honorable of suitors. Do you have a problem with my daughter's chosen companion, Ahoun-san?" Hiashi asked from his seat next to Tsunade.

The fat noble sweated a bit at the cold look in the Hyuuga's eyes. He looked at Tsunade for support, but found the same coldness there. In fact, most of the higher ranked Council members were glaring at him with disapproval. He couldn't understand why the shinobi Council members didn't understand the danger the Kyuubi brat posed.

It never occurred to him that it was the very fact that he _wasn't _shinobi that kept him from understanding what an asset Naruto was.

"That's enough of this topic," Tsunade said firmly. She looked at Nara Shikaku, who was the Council Secretary, for the next item on the agenda.

"Next for the Council discussion is the probability of biological warfare from our enemies," the older Nara read from the scroll in front of him. He stood up and took Kakashi's place in the middle of the room.

"It's been known for some time that our enemies use poisons," Shikaku spoke. "In fact, out of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, our Fire Country is the last to utilize poison regularly in our arsenal. With a few exceptions such as Yamanaka Ino—who uses poisons for her reconnaissance missions—and Shizune—who uses her _Dokugiri_, the poison gas cloud—there aren't any strong shinobi who use poison on their opponents."

Kakashi nodded at this truth. While Konoha had its share of Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and Genjutsu masters, it seemed to lack a single person proficient in poisons.

"I requested that our meeting be delayed," Shikaku said. He reached into his yukata and took out a plain scroll. "This is the reason I asked for that delay. My clan has been in medicine since the founding of our village. We've the largest written library of poisons and antidotes on the continent. This is why the absence of a strong venoms master was so glaringly obvious to me and my son."

"What is in the scroll, Nara?" Tsunade snapped, he just reminded her of the scroll Sakura gave her. She had the feeling that whatever lay on its parchment was extremely important.

"The scroll contains a general antidote to 83 percent of the poisons found on our continent," he answered. "It can be easily changed to a serum and injected into our shinobi and civilian population. I propose we add it to the regular immunizations we already have."

Tsunade nodded and motioned for the Council to vote. Unsurprisingly, it was a unanimous decision to go through with Nara Shikaku's plan. She took the scroll with the general antidote and placed it in her jacket pocket. When Shikaku sat back down, she looked at him again and waited.

"Ahem, the next order of business is…"

**(SCENE CHANGE)**

Sakura was right.

It was only 12:30 and she was ready to drop. She was working in the emergency department tonight and apparently, there weren't any emergencies—of _any _kind _any_where. It was one of those quiet nights at the hospital. But she knew better than to let her guard down.

Quiet nights at the hospital had ways of becoming hectic races to save another person's life before the sun rose again.

She was sitting at her desk in her office, looking over paperwork, when she heard a knock on her door.

"Come in," she called out.

"Sakura."

She pushed her bangs behind her ears and checked the bun she put her hair up in earlier. Sakura turned and smiled at the couple in the doorway. Sasuke stood there, proud as always, with his arm around a doe-eyed brunette. Sakura stood up and walked toward them, hands outstretched.

"Sasuke," she replied. Her smile grew when he actually took her hands and kissed her on the cheek. When they parted, she held out her hands to the woman. "You must be Maya-chan."

Maya smiled and took the initiative. She reached out and hugged Sakura. "It's so good to _finally _meet you Sakura-chan," she said in a soft voice. "Sasuke's told me all about you."

"While he's said almost nothing about _you_," Sakura answered, hugging her back. "Naruto and I have _longed _to find a woman who could put the idiot in his place. I hear you do it quite well." A soft blush came over Maya's features, but Sakura didn't miss the smug smile on the other woman's face.

"Naruto-kun said almost the same thing when we met," Maya laughed. Sasuke leaned against the doorjamb and smirked at the rapport between his girlfriend and his best girl _friend._

"Oh, I'm a bit spaced out right now," Sakura apologized. She waved the couple into her office and motioned to a couch along the side of the wall. "Please sit down."

"We don't want to take up too much of your time," Sasuke said as Maya sat down. He sat on the arm of the couch and rested his hand on her shoulder. Sakura's smile became gentle as she noticed how he always kept touching his girlfriend—not inappropriately, but in that loving way couples have.

"Do I _look _busy?" Sakura asked. "You two are just what I need to help keep me awake. Now, Maya-chan, please tell me about this broom incident I've heard about…"

The trio talked for an hour before they had to go. Sakura waved them off smiling. She swore her cheeks were stuck in that position. Seeing Sasuke happy was one of the most rewarding things in her life. Now that he had a partner, she was certain that he would join their group more often and they could pry more of that shell off of him.

Looking at the clock, she noticed that it was 1:43 in the morning. She didn't expect Kakashi to come over for at least another half-hour. Council meetings were notoriously long—which was partially why they usually started at 5 in the afternoon. Today's delay would make sure that none of the members get to their beds till at least two a.m.

Sakura managed to fill out a few more reports when the sound of rushing feet echoed down the hall. She was up and holding her medical bag by the time her door slammed open.

"Sakura-sama!" the nurse cried. "We just got an urgent message! You're needed five kilometers west of Konoha. Two ANBU squads and another squad from Suna have been gravely injured."

"But I'm not the on-call triage doctor tonight," Sakura said. Her brow furrowed. She couldn't remember who was the triage doctor, but whoever it was, was supposed to be stationed at the village gates so that he could answer whatever summons within a six-kilometer radius.

"The messenger specifically asked for you, Sakura-sama," the nurse replied.

Sakura began walking to the exit of the hospital. "Where is this _messenger_?"

"Hello, Haruno-san," a low voice called out.

Sakura turned and saw a tall man separate himself from the shadows of the hallway. Her eyes widened when she recognized the face and connected that to the voice that just spoke.

"Don't just stand there," he said. "We have an emergency here."

The pink-haired woman nodded and ran out of the hospital. When the man joined her, they shared a short nod before they began jumping on rooftops to get out of the village. Once the rooftops gave way to trees, Sakura picked up her speed. She turned to the silent man beside her and asked the question that had been bothering her for some time.

"What are you doing here, Kankuro?"

**A/N:**

Sorry about the long wait. I forgot all about this cuz I was doing Camp Hyrule…and that was this past week. I'm a nerd to the bone, man. Gotta love Camp Hyrule. Nintendo rox my sox.

I wrote a Mario Bros. fanfic for one of the Camp's challenges…I might post it here. :D

By the way…the nobleman—Ahoun-san—was named after the word "ahou" which means "FOOL" in Japanese.

The document editor's being weird and not letting put page breaks in between scenes...hence the SCENE CHANGE annoyance. Sorry about that folks.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"If that is all for tonight," Tsunade announced, "This Council meeting is adjourned until the Summer Solstice."

"Thank you for your hard work," Kakashi droned along with the other Council members as he bowed. His mind was already on his meeting with Sakura. Whatever she needed to tell him was important enough to get the Hokage involved and he knew, from years of experience with the rosette-haired woman, that she wasn't one to cause unnecessary alarm.

As the various Council members bent to gather their papers, a chuunin rushed through the doors and placed a scroll into Tsunade's hands. Many paused as the woman read the message and her face darkened. Her gaze snapped up to meet Kakashi's and somehow he knew that whatever happened involved one of his former pupils.

"Shizune," the blonde woman barked out. "Send summons to Hyuuga Hinata, Hyuuga Neji, and Inuzuka Kiba. Send for Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke as well. If Aburame Shino is back from his last mission, summon for him also. Tell them to meet at the West Gate. Another jounin will be there with further instructions."

Kakashi swore his heart froze as he heard the Hokage list the names of the shinobi chosen for the mission. One name in particular was missing. The dark-haired medic bowed and turned to do as she was told, but Tsunade's voice stopped her before she could take another step.

"They have 5 minutes to get there," Tsunade snapped. "This is an B-class mission for everyone." Shizune nodded and left. Once she was out of the Council Chambers, she broke into a run.

It was no secret that the genin of the 'Rookie 9' were among the strongest and most talented the Academy had ever seen. The teams themselves were known for their individual strengths. The former members of Asuma's Team 10 were currently the leaders of any and all Reconnaissance and Intelligence missions. Kakashi's own students were hailed as the next generation of Legendary Sannin—but with a slightly saner third member, of course. And each member of Kuranai's Team 8 now led his or her own team for ANBU's SRD Unit

To any ninja, _SRD_ meant Search, Rescue, and Destroy.

Kakashi's still heart picked up its tempo at that realization.

"Kakashi," Tsunade called out. "You will be the one to meet the other jounin at the rendezvous point. This scroll contains everything you need to know. Go and change; you have 4 minutes left. Don't be late."

The silver-haired man glared at the Hokage and promptly disappeared without saying anything.

* * *

"Hey, Sasuke!" Naruto called out as he spotted the dark-haired man. He increased his speed to match the Uchiha's and glanced at him as they jumped over the quiet rooftops. "D'you know what this is about?"

"I don't know any more than you do right now, dobe," Sasuke replied. He was especially irritable this night for the simple reason that Tsunade's summons interrupted a moment between him and his girlfriend. "Only that I was given 5 minutes to get to the gate."

"Same here," Naruto said. He saw a familiar tattooed face and frowned. "There's the gate. I see Kiba and Akamaru."

"Hinata and Neji are there as well," Sasuke noted as they landed in front of the trio.

"You're cutting it a bit close," a low voice growled out. Both Naruto and Sasuke's eyes widened at the sight of their former sensei, but wisely remained silent when they caught the hard glint in his eye. Kakashi began speaking and the two other males of Team 7 felt shivers of fear run down their spines.

"Two hours ago, Kankuro from Suna appeared and asked Haruno Sakura for medical aid," Kakashi said, keeping his tone as bland as it always was. "He reported that his team and two of our ANBU squads were ambushed five kilometers from Konoha. The triage doctor wasn't at his post and so Sakura went with Kankuro. This was almost two hours ago."

"So they're being healed by Sakura," Sasuke commented. "It could be taking her a while to work on twelve people."

"She would have sent for reinforcements by now," Hinata said. "That's standard procedure for injuries involving more than two squads."

"That's not all," Kakashi added. "Ten minutes ago, Kankuro and his team arrived in Konoha unharmed. He denied any knowledge of coming to the hospital and asking Sakura for help. The Hokage has declared Haruno Sakura missing. Our mission is to find her and bring her back safely. Kiba, you and Akamaru will look for her scent. Neji and Hinata will search every inch of the forest once we find the trail. I already sent my dogs ahead. They're not as talented as Akamaru when it comes to tracking, but they should find something soon."

As he said this, a howl came from the trees outside the gates. The group of ninja immediately took to the trees—rushing to find their friend.

"Kakashi?" Naruto asked as they flew through the air. "What do you want me and Sasuke to do?" The silver-haired man was silent for a while, but when he answered it was in a tone that his students rarely heard.

"I want you to keep me from killing the bastards who took her from me."

* * *

**1 HOUR AND FORTY-FIVE MINUTES EARLIER**

Sakura kept silent as Kankuro led her through the dense branches of the forest. They passed the five-kilometer mark some time ago and she still didn't see anything resembling an ambush or any signs of a trail. The Suna nin was quieter than usual and he hadn't tried to hit on Sakura once during their trip. Something about him was different, although she couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. They continued to run for five more minutes before she decided that enough was enough.

Without any warning, she stopped on a tree branch. She was unsurprised when the black-clad figure stopped as well to turn and face her. Sakura stared at the man she'd known for almost ten years and frowned.

"What's going on, Kankuro?" she asked.

"I'm taking you to the injured, Haruno-san," the face-painted man replied, donning his trademark smile.

"We're long past where you said they would be," Sakura said. What was wrong finally broke through her tired mind and she quickly palmed a few shuriken from her belt pouch. "Where is Karasu, Kankuro?"

"Oh, him? He's back at Suna," Kankuro answered easily. "He was a bit stiff so I decided to leave him behind."

Sakura snorted. It was a long-standing joke that Kankuro never went _anywhere_ without his favorite puppet. He even took the damn thing into the _onsen_ with him. "What did you hope to accomplish by taking me so far away from Konoha?"

The man's smile didn't waver. "I don't know what you're talking about, Haruno-san."

"Whoever you are," Sakura sneered, leaning her weight on her right hip. "You're a terrible liar." With that said, the rosette-haired woman threw the shuriken at the man. She didn't waste any time to check if they hit their mark and promptly disappeared in a shower of sakura blossoms.

The man dropped his henge of Kankuro and sighed as he removed the shuriken from his leg. Sakura had a glimpse of white blonde hair and gray eyes from her hiding place before she heard the sound of a branch breaking behind her. She twisted in her crouched position to lash out with a kick, but two gloved hands caught her leg. The next thing she knew, she was tossed through the air and caught by a third person.

Her arms were roughly grabbed and pinned behind her. A strong arm banded itself around her neck and forced her head back against a muscled chest. The person who held her was taller than her by at least two feet and Sakura found her feet hanging above the tree branch they all stood on.

"You shouldn't throw sharp things like that at your friends, Haruno-san," the man who pretended to be Kankuro scolded.

"Really? And that's how young people say hello to each other these days," she mocked. "Who are you?"

"You are in no position to ask any questions," the man replied. He held out his hand and a woman jumped down to hand him a scroll. He opened the parchment and read the message. "Good. We'll head to the manor and get our pay."

"Who are you? What manor are you talking about?" Sakura asked again. She knew that the longer they talked, the sooner she'd come up with a plan. She just had to keep them talking. "Hey! I'm talking to you!"

The man glanced briefly at her before looking at the woman again and began whispering furiously to her. Sakura took this as an opportunity to flex her arms. The giant holding her responded by tightening his arm over her neck—choking her slightly. The hold that the other man had her in was strong, but she was stronger. Sakura noted that the two people in front of her were done talking and took a deep breath. Judging by the angle of her arms and the fact that she was practically hanging two feet above the branch, Sakura figured that she could break free and start running for Konoha before any of them knew it.

The only problem with that was that she'd have to break her right arm to do it.

It was gonna hurt like hell, but she'd be home in time for Kakashi to take her to the hospital.

* * *

**PRESENT TIME**

Except for a few hand signals to keep each other aware of direction changes, Kakashi and his team ran through the dark forest in silence. Their bodies were hurried blurs as they raced through the purple/blue shadows of the night. The only sounds they made were the occasional thump of their feet against tree branches. The only sounds they heard were the frantic beating of their hearts. The only thoughts in their heads stayed focused on saving one person.

They were finally catching up.

Akamaru let out a soft growl and halted next to a particularly thick branch that lay in pieces on the ground. The team stopped and stared at the mess of wood and leaves. The dirt at the base of the tree was disturbed and showed obvious signs of struggle. Naruto jumped up to the jagged protrusion where the branch should have been and crouched down to touch the splintered wood. Sasuke landed on the other side of the clearing and pressed his fist against a boulder that had a large crater on its side.

"This is definitely Sakura's work," Kiba whistled through his teeth at the damage and shook his head. "There were three of them. One was a woman—I can smell her shampoo. They fought—"

"—in the trees first," Neji interrupted. He stood by Naruto on the abused tree and stared around the site with his _Byakugan_. The pearly-eyed man pointed to a nearby tree. "Sakura stopped over there and then jumped away. She must have been caught and held on this branch before she broke free."

"There's a possibility she hurt her arm," Sasuke said from his place on the ground.

"How do you know that?" Kiba asked. He knew for a fact that Sakura _did _get injured—Akamaru just finished telling him that her blood was splattered all over the clearing.

Sasuke gestured to the boulder beside him. "This crater isn't as big as it could be," he answered. "Sakura's left hand punches aren't as strong as her right, so it might be her right arm that's hurt."

"She could just be holding back," Neji mentioned.

"No."

The unequivocal response to that statement came from the leader of their team. Kakashi stood in the center of the clearing, staring at the broken branch in front of him. He knew and taught his kunoichi well. He was certain about all things concerning her fighting style and battle strategy.

"She would fight as hard and as much as she could," the silver-haired man continued. "As soon as she found out what was going on, she'd fight." There was a pause as the others absorbed Kakashi's words and they understood.

"Neji, Hinata, Kiba," Kakashi ordered. "Where does the trail go?"

The three shinobi used their individual talents and searched the clearing. Almost simultaneously they turned southwest and pointed. Kakashi shot off in that direction and the others followed. Hinata and Neji kept their _kekkei genkai_ activated as they ran and noticed something.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata asked. "Does Sakura-chan know how to create chakra markers?"

"I'm not sure…what're those?" the blonde asked.

"They're a way to mark a path in case you get lost," Neji answered. He sped up until he was next to Kakashi and looked back. "It's activated only by the person's chakra. But the _Byakugan_ can see them. Kakashi-san, does Sakura know how to do this?"

Kakashi smiled behind his mask and answered, "I just taught her how to do it the other day."

"She left us a trail. She knew we'd go after her as soon as she went missing," Sasuke stated.

"Of course we would!" Naruto yelled.

"But what if no Hyuuga was around to help you, Kakashi-sempai?" Hinata asked.

"The _Byakugan _isn't the only thing that can see chakra markers," Kakashi's smile grew into a grin.

Sasuke blinked and activated his bloodline limit. Sure enough, there were glowing light pink splotches on every few trees. A smile graced his face for the first time since he heard of his friend's disappearance.

_We'll be there soon, Sakura, _Sasuke promised silently. That thought was followed swiftly by another one. _When was Kakashi going to teach _**me**_ that_ _particular trick?_

* * *

**A/N:**

I'm sssssssooooooo SORRY! I'm a bad author for leaving this alone for so long! I just got writer's block and then life and work got in the way. Then the holidays and more work and school.

I hope you guys don't abandon this fic…I'm working on it (and my other fic **Mist and Fire**) as much as I can.

Plus I'm very picky about my work and I HATE it when it's not the way I like it or if it's less than 5 pages…


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Kakashi kept his eyes trained on the scene in front of him and tried not to yell out in frustration. After an hour of following Sakura's chakra trail, the markers abruptly disappeared. Since there was no sign of a fight, he feared the worst. Sasuke finally introduced the possibility that somehow the enemy poisoned Sakura in the earlier fight. The possibility turned into a fact when Akamaru circled a particular patch of ground and whined to his partner.

"Akamaru says that she fell here. Her sweat smells off…like it's been tainted," Kiba translated. "It's definitely some kind of poison. Someone picked her up and headed off."

"Track them," Sasuke demanded. The tattooed man had a brief discussion with his dog and sadly shook his head.

"They must have realized that we're using their scents to track them," he explained. "Akamaru senses a jutsu of some sort. I can't tell where they went."

"They can't be that far ahead of us," Naruto growled. "They're carrying Sakura and trying to stay hidden. Hinata…"

Hinata, already two steps ahead of her boyfriend, had her bloodline limit activated. She felt Neji's presence next to her and nodded. Both Hyuuga were sure that whoever knocked the medic nin unconscious couldn't be far away and searched the area with their Byakugan. It didn't take the two long before Hinata muttered a curse and they both leapt away from the rest of the group. Kiba and Akamaru followed a second behind the two Hyuuga with the men of Team 7 a breath after them.

"What do you see?" Kakashi asked.

"A cabin," Hinata replied curtly. She was afraid how the man would react if she told him exactly what she saw. Neji understood the reason for his cousin's brief reply and remained silent. The group sped up and ran for a few more meters before someone spoke again.

"Kiba, what's with the stupid expression on your face?" Naruto asked.

"It's disgust, baka," the dog-nin answered. "The smell of blood is pretty strong here."

"Sakura's?" Sasuke questioned.

"I'm not sure. There's just too much too tell," Kiba said. He looked over at Kakashi and frowned. "Your sense of smell is just as good as mine. What do you sense?"

"Blood—lots of it," the Copy-nin answered. His next sentence caused everyone to shudder in fear. "Some of it belongs to Sakura."

The group landed in front of a cabin and paused. Naruto and Sasuke didn't wait for the Hyuuga's signal before breaking down the door and running into the structure. The sounds of fighting began immediately and angry curses fell from the young men's lips. Neji and Kiba were just behind the duo, but Hinata grabbed Kakashi's arm before he could follow.

"Whatever you see in there, you have to keep your head," she whispered. Kakashi was about to ask why when two voices cut through the air.

"_**CHIDORI!"**_

"_**RESENGAN!"**_

Lightning and wild blue light illuminated the clearing for a few moments before the front wall of the cabin crumbled from the attacks of two very pissed off shinobi. Hinata ran when she saw two bodies in the rubble. She bypassed the charred body of Sasuke's victim and checked the pulse of the other man. He was alive, but barely. The Hyuuga Heiress quickly formed some hand signs and bent down to talk to the man.

"Naruto! Sasuke! I told you guys not to do anything stupid!" Kiba yelled. "How are we supposed to question them now?"

Sasuke merely turned around and began searching the bodies—or more accurately, body _parts—_of the dead men littering the interior of the cabin. The young Uchiha kept his eyes averted from the far corner of the room and the sight that caused his and Naruto's angry outbursts. If Kakashi expected his blonde student to scratch his head in embarrassment, then he was wrong when a harsh look entered Naruto's eyes and a tanned hand slashed in front of him in a negative motion.

"I don't _fucking _care about questioning him!" he yelled. "We don't need to ask him a thing. You can _see _what they did!" The blonde swept his arm toward the back corner of the room and Kakashi stilled. He couldn't tell if it was because of all of the blood or if his vision really did turn red.

Son of a bitch…Kakashi thought viciously. 

"We're leaving," Hinata announced, much to the surprise of the men around her.

"Agreed," Neji said. "We can catch up to Sakura and the last of her pursuers if we go now."

"We're going back to Konoha," the white-eyed woman corrected.

"But Hinata, we're close," Kiba said. "I can smell her nearby."

"Not to mention that she's hurt," Naruto added. "We can get her back now. And she needs us. Look at what—"

"We're leaving, _now,_" Hinata repeated. The blue-haired woman turned to the silent man next to her and offered what comfort she could. "Kakashi, that isn't her blood…not all of it anyway."

"I know that," he answered in a monotone. "But we're going after her."

"No we are not," Hinata looked for the first time at the bloodied mess in the corner. Her Byakugan picked up what the others—even Neji—couldn't and her voice held complete conviction of her actions. "We are going to burn this cabin down to the ground, forget about finding Sakura, and head right home to Konoha."

"Our mission is to get Sakura back," Sasuke began.

"I'm well aware of our mission, Uchiha," Hinata uncharacteristically interrupted the dark-haired man. "But now I'm aborting it."

"With what authority?" Kakashi asked lazily. Everyone in the cabin knew that his lazy tone of voice hid the anger he felt and that his poor posture indicated how close he was to jumping out of the room to find his lover. "In case you forgot, Tsunade put me in charge of this mission."

Hinata spent too many years cowering under the power of her father and being loved by Naruto to not recognize the signs of an aggravated male. But her shinobi training and her loyalty to her village won over the need to give in to Kakashi's subtle pressure. Raising herself to her full height, she used every inch of her being to outstare the Copy-nin in front of her.

"I am the Head of ANBU's SRD unit. And in case _you've _forgotten, SRD stands for Search, Rescue, and Destroy," she began. "The only reason Tsunade-sama gave you the role of mission leader is because of your close relationship with the target. In any other scenario, _I _would be the mission leader. Now that I know what the situation is, I'm pulling rank. We're going home."

"But Kiba's a SRD Captain, too," Sasuke said, matching Kakashi's monotone. "Can't he decide to go after Sakura?"

"Hinata outranks me," Kiba admitted ruefully. "When she says that she's the Head of the SRD, it means that she runs the whole unit, not just her own squad."

"We're leaving and that's final," the elegant woman stood amidst the blood, gore, and rubble of the cabin and raised a thin eyebrow. "If you resist, I'll be forced to close your tenketsu and drag you back to the village."

All four men felt their eyes widen at Hinata's threat and warily walked past her to exit the cabin. She watched their progress and slowly followed, leaving several exploding tags in the interior of the room. Once outside, she ordered Sasuke and Kakashi to use their Katon jutsus to burn the house down. That done, the men left the clearing one by one to head home in silence. Hinata tracked their progress with her Byakugan, but stayed silent until all that remained of the cabin was ash and soot.

"You can come out now, Neji-niisan," Hinata whispered. The longhaired man jumped down from his hiding place and stood next to his cousin. They remained quiet for the next few moments until he decided to state the obvious.

"You're acting different."

"I'm acting like a jounin kunoichi. You haven't had a mission with me for a while, Neji-niisan. I've grown up."

"They're mad at you."

"I know."

"They don't understand."

"They wouldn't."

"_I _don't understand."

"You wouldn't either."

"Did you get any information from the man Naruto attacked?"

"Yes."

"What did he tell you? Anything about Sakura?"

"Nothing that you need to know about, _Kakashi-senpai,_" Hinata turned her head and smirked when a cloud appeared over her cousin's body to reveal Kakashi's instead. "The others are waiting 100 meters away, senpai. We should get going."

"That smirk doesn't suit you," Kakashi voiced.

"Oh," Hinata immediately wiped the smirk off of her face but regained her composure enough to reply. "I forgot that I wasn't wearing my ANBU mask. Sorry."

"You really _are _different now."

"We need to get going," Hinata said, jumping into the trees. "I have a report to give to the Hokage."

* * *

"You did **WHAT!**"

"Ah, Baa-chan, it wasn't our idea!" Naruto yelled back, matching the Hokage's volume with no problem. "Hinata-chan made us go back!"

"It's true, Hokage-sama," Sasuke added. "Hyuuga Hinata used her rank as Head of SRD to order the team back to Konoha."

"As I understand things, Hatake," Tsunade growled at the gray-haired nin. "No one can make you do anything you don't want to do. Why did you follow Hinata's orders?"

"Because I threatened to close their tenketsu if they disobeyed, Tsunade-sama," Hinata informed. The blonde Hokage's eyes widened at this. The gentle Hyuuga didn't threaten other people often or close off their chakra circulatory systems without good cause.

"Does this have to do with Inuzuka Hana?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Hinata answered, avoiding Kiba's questioning eyes. The dog nin's interest grew at the mention of his sister, who was out of town on a four-month long mission, but he refrained from asking anything.

"You all are dismissed," Tsunade ordered despite the complaints from Naruto. "Hyuuga Hinata will stay and complete the mission report. Shizune show them out and make sure no one bothers us until Hinata sends for you."

Hinata refused to meet the confused stares she got and simply looked straight ahead. When she was sure all of the males were gone, her shoulders slumped a bit and she gladly accepted the small cup of sake the Hokage offered her. Tsunade waited patiently for the woman to drink the alcohol and tapped her nails on her desk when Hinata sat on the edge of it, facing the Hokage.

Hinata gazed out the window and sighed. It was only 10 o'clock in the morning. Not many people would have heard about Sakura's disappearance yet and she was dead tired. The sake helped give her the courage to say what she needed to say and she'd given reports like this to Tsunade before, but it didn't make the experience any easier. Tsunade almost jumped in her chair when the woman finally spoke.

"I need to call the Yamanakas," she sighed.

"Why?" Tsunade asked. "If it's to tell Ino that Sakura's missing, don't bother. She has the morning shift at the hospital and probably already knows the basics from the staff there." She had a good idea why the Hyuuga needed to talk to the owners of Kohoha's best flower shop, but she didn't want to admit it to herself until she absolutely had to.

The dark-haired woman shook her head. "I need to have them make a flower arrangement for me."

"What flowers do you need?" Tsunade's hand shook as she poured two more cups of sake for them both.

"A Crimson Rose will do as the centerpiece," Hinata whispered, downing her sake. She gestured for more of the alcohol. "I'm sure of it…and a Blue Dahlia wouldn't be too much to add either, as a side focus for the bouquet." Tsunade sat shocked and sadly poured more sake into the shallow cup.

"If you're positive those are the flowers you want, then just tell me where to send the arrangement…" Hinata frowned and tilted her head toward one bank of windows to Tsunade's left. The older woman noticed and realized that, despite her orders to Shizune, someone was definitely listening in on the conversation.

"In that case, go and contact Yamanaka Ino when you have the time. Give her the destination of the bouquet and she'll send me the bill. And Hinata…" Hinata looked up from her contemplation of the sake cup to see Tsunade's face crumpled in sorrow—although none of that sorrow made its way into her voice.

"…you might want to ask her to add some Apple Blossoms to the arrangement."

"B-but…WHAT? I-I mean…Apple Blossoms might be a little too much, Godaime-sama." Hinata, composure completely broken, dropped the sake cup and barely managed to catch it before it broke on the floor. "They're not necessary. It's too early in the season for them in any case."

"No…it's not," Tsunade countered. The look of sorrow grew on the Hokage's face until Hinata was sure she was going to cry. Tsunade patted her jacket over her heart and Hinata thought she saw a scroll there. "You haven't noticed, but they've been blooming for a while now."

"Oh…" Hinata couldn't take it anymore and let a few tears fall onto her cheeks. She grabbed the sake bottle off of the table and drank the rest of the liquid. "Well, I should have known. I'm going to find Ino now, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade nodded and laid her head down on the table after the young woman left. She didn't know what was worse: not knowing what was going to happen or not knowing what to say to Kakashi when it did.

_Damn it all to hell, Sakura…_

* * *

"Why were they talking about flowers?" Naruto asked no one in particular. He, Sasuke, Kakashi, and Kiba just landed onto the Academy's rooftop after listening in on Hinata's conversation with Tsunade. "I don't get it…Sakura's missing and hurt and alone. They're in there talking about sending bouquets and _flowers?_"

"It might be a code," Sasuke murmured.

Kakashi nodded. "I've heard a few rumors lately about a separate code that female ninjas are starting to use. It could use flowers as code words." Silence descended on the four males as they tried to think of the different meanings behind flowers.

"The day after my sister left for her mission, a bouquet of flowers arrived for my mother," Kiba whispered suddenly. He looked up at the others as the memory came back to him. "When she saw it, she broke down crying…I don't know why."

"Was a crimson rose in it?" Kakashi asked worriedly. If the sight of the bouquet alone could make a hardened kunoichi like Inuzuka Tsume break down, then the odds that the bouquets signified bad news were high.

"No…" Kiba replied after a while. He closed his eyes and tried to remember the smells of the flowers that made his mother cry so hard. "There were lilies in the arrangement—the kind we put on Sandaime-sama's grave every year. At first I thought she was crying because someone she knew just died. There were tulips too; big yellow ones."

"So what do these flowers mean?" Sasuke wondered.

"We're going to have to ask a kunoichi," Kakashi said as he turned so that he could head towards Kurenai's house.

"You will do no such thing," a soft voice called out behind them.

"Gah!" Naruto and Kiba yelled in surprise. Sasuke and Kakashi were just as shocked as the other two, but flatly refused to show any emotion. Neither Sharingan wielder flinched when three more people appeared to place heavy hands on the shoulders of each of the men except Kakashi.

"When did you get so good at sneaking up on people?" Sasuke asked lazily.

"She's an SRD ANBU Captain, teme," Naruto reminded the other man.

"Good of you to notice, Naruto," Hinata said, sarcasm light in her voice. This surprised most of the males, but Naruto only held back a grin. Watching his girlfriend in "ANBU Mode" never failed to amaze him—or turn him on.

"Anko," Kakashi murmured, nodding at the sadistic kunoichi holding Sasuke's shoulder. He nodded again at the kunoichi holding Naruto in much the same fashion. "Kurenai."

"Nee-san!" Kiba said, finally recognizing the face of his sister. "You're back from your mission! What do the flowers mean?"

Inuzuka Hana raised tired and haunted eyes to her brother and frowned. "Flowers?" she asked. "What are you talking about?"

"The flowers mom got," he said with his usual bluntness. "There were lilies and tulips—" The rest of Kiba's sentence was cut off when a pale hand covered his mouth. Hana waited until her brother stopped making noise and Hinata nodded at her before removing her hand. When it looked like he was going to say something, it only took a stare from Hana to keep him quiet.

"You will not say a word to any kunoichi about any type of code," Hinata began.

"But Hinata-chan…"

"I am swearing you four to secrecy. For the safety of every female ninja in this village, you should know that discussion of the so-called 'Code' with anyone is off limits. If you disobey this mandate, the punishment is detention in an ANBU cell. The Godaime, the top kunoichi in ANBU's Interrogations Office, or I will act as officers for as long as the detention lasts."

"Detention?" Kiba and Naruto echoed.

"Torture," Sasuke translated.

"If you want to call it that…" came the soft reply. Hinata tilted her head and Anko chuckled evilly. Kurenai's red eyes narrowed at Sasuke while Hana simply growled low in her throat at her brother. Kakashi alone seemed unfazed. He shifted his weight onto his left hip and placed his hands in his pockets.

"Is this mandate yours or the Hokage's?" he asked.

"This much about the Code I can tell you," Hinata acceded. "Godaime-sama has placed the execution of the Code to three people and I am one of them. In this instance, my word is as good as hers."

"So you helped create the Code," Kakashi concluded. Hinata ignored that and answered the one question she could see he desperately needed the answer for.

"I'll tell you this about Sakura-chan, Kakashi-senpai," she said as she nodded to the other women. "She's safe."

"That's all?" the silver-haired man demanded. He didn't notice when the other kunoichi left, each one dragging a disgruntled male with her. The two shinobi stood facing each other as they silently engaged in a battle of wills. "That's all you'll tell me?"

"That's all you need to know," was the cold answer.

Hinata broke their staring contest and jumped to the top of the chain link fence that surrounded the rooftop. Images of crimson roses and apple blossoms ran through her mind—along with the meanings behind each flower—and she sighed. It wasn't her place to tell him anything and it went against her loyalty to her fellow kunoichi to say another word. She stayed there; perched on the metal wires; long after the smoke from Kakashi's teleportation jutsu disappeared.

_Apple Blossoms…_she thought sadly. She couldn't remember the number of times she had to tell Tsunade to add a Crimson Rose to an arrangement, but she could count the number of times Apple Blossoms were sent on one hand.

_Oh, Kami, Sakura…why?_

* * *

**A/N: **I'm so sorry it took so long to update…first I was just busy with school. Then I had the brilliant stupid idea to give up writing fanfiction for Lent! Damn Catholosism...spelling sucks... Gah! Now I'm all rusty and weird with writing. I hope it doesn't show too badly and I hope that you guys haven't abandoned this fic.

Don't worry, Spring Break's coming up and I'll have more time to write things! Again, please don't give up on this fic. And please review! Tell me what you like and what I can do to improve:D

Ja ne!

P.S.

Did anyone else have trouble uploading anything the past few days? Or is my Internet so retarded that it won't let me put my stories up?


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

_Blood. Blood covered everything; it soaked every surface and scrap of fabric on her person. A throbbing pain in her right arm kept her from moving the limb. Her left arm held her only weapon and if she wiped the blood from her eyes, then she'd be defenseless. If she let her guard down, then she knew they would finish her. She couldn't be finished here—she didn't remember why at the moment, but she knew that she couldn't die in a place like this._

_Sharp light flashed off of the kunai she held and momentarily blinded one of her opponents. She took that advantage and lunged forward. Her body moved without the direction of her conscious brain; her legs moved in a complicated pattern of feints and kicks. More blood—that horrid sticky liquid—spilled over her hand. She killed two more of her enemies before her back hit the wall of the cabin._

"_Nowhere to go, woman," the white-haired man growled. He spat a glob of spit and blood onto the ground at her feet. "Now come here."_

_Wild green eyes looked over the men in front of her. They glanced at the bodies on the floor of the cabin—following the trail of dead or dying men and one woman—and stopped at the scene she was trying so hard to escape._

_There, against the wall, was a bed with a ragged mattress covered in blood. Near the foot of the bed a red liquid pooled around the outline of an inverted "V"—which revealed the only relatively clean part of the fabric. Leather strips attached to the legs of the bed and it was obvious that whoever lay in that bed last did so against her will. It didn't take much intelligence to figure out who that person was and what they did there._

_**No,**__ the woman thought. __**Never again.**_

_She had one more ace up her sleeve and she'd use it to get away. There was no way in hell she'd go back to that wretched corner. The eyes of her adversaries widened when she dropped the kunai and raised her hand in front of her in a one-handed seal. Without shouting out the name of her jutsu, she slowly melted away until blood red rose petals were all that remained._

"_That won't work, woman," the white-haired man yelled. He grabbed the rose petals with both hands and threw them at the bed. Coughing came from that corner as her genjutsu disappeared and she rolled over to leave the stinking mattress._

"_No," the man said, pushing her down again. "You're mine and you're never going to get away."_

_A primal scream left her throat as he descended once again._

**"NNNOOOOO!"**

* * *

"Oi! Hinata!"

Hinata paused in her kata at the loud voice, but didn't turn around and didn't stop her movements. Her relationship with other people remained strained at the moment. She wasn't the same person since coming back from Sakura's mission and it showed.

With more and more women entering the Academy and passing the tests, the number of kunoichi under the care of the Code became larger and larger. In fact, some genin teams were beginning to have two females with one male rather than the other way around. Tsunade gave the young Hyuuga more of the burden since she couldn't do so herself and the former head of their secret organization suddenly and unofficially resigned. The stress was getting to her and causing her to isolate herself from her friends and family.

The only person happy with the "new" her was her father.

Ino may have been a better choice with her Intelligence training and the network of spies ready at her fingertips, but she didn't have Hinata's ability to remain hidden in plain sight. Ten-ten may have been better for her business-like attitude and ability to separate herself from her work, but she didn't have Hinata's status in the village. And Sakura couldn't do it because…well because she _was _the former head of the Code and it's network of safe houses. The only person left was Hinata—and she hated it.

"Hinata!" the voice called again.

The dark-haired Hyuuga sighed and turned around to face her former teammate and current irritant, Kiba and his dog Akamaru. Her voice was quiet, but still retained the slight layer of steel she'd recently acquired.

"Kiba-kun, what brings you here today?"

"We need to talk about the Code, Hinata."

"What code?" Hinata asked. Her voice was frigid with fury and fear. _He knows the penalty, _she screamed inside her head. _Why is he talking about this? Stop before I have to turn you over to ANBU, Kiba-kun!_

Kiba frowned at his friend's tone of voice and almost backed down. But the image of his sister this morning flashed through his mind and his resolve returned.

"Drop the act, Hinata. You know what I'm talking about."

"You'll be punished for this," she replied. Hinata felt sick to her stomach, but remained firm. She had to if she was going to continue on as the head of their organization.

"I don't care about the punishment!" Kiba yelled. "Nee-san has been acting weird ever since she came back from that long solo mission. Five months ago she was fine and now she jumps at any little noise and avoids the academy like it was a trash dump or something. She won't look me in the eye and now she won't even consider seeing the man she's been in love with for years! What exactly happened to my sister and what did the flowers in her arrangement mean?"

"She's avoiding men?" Hinata stilled and narrowed her eyes. "And children?"

"Yes!"

_This could be a problem, _Hinata thought. She glanced back at her friend and frowned. Her heart went out to the young man who obviously loved his sister. An idea formed in the back of her mind—one that would solve her latest behavioral problems as well as give Kiba the information he needed.

"Kiba-kun, I need to ask permission before I tell you anything," she began. "But come back here in an hour and I'll tell you what I can."

"I won't settle for anything less than the truth," the dog-nin said.

"You will settle for whatever I tell you," Hinata shot back. The now familiar frozen feeling entered her voice and her eyes. Another crack appeared on her heart to join the others that appeared since her _promotion_ within the organization. She felt possessed as she stared down her old friend. "And you will be content with what I tell you."

Akamaru whimpered when the Hyuuga disappeared and Kiba petted the large dog on the head.

"I know, Akamaru," Kiba sighed. "I miss the old Hinata, too."

* * *

**"NNNOOOO!"**

The scream woke the woman up from a sound sleep, but she didn't mind so much. The elderly looking lady simply stood up from her desk and walked over to the figure thrashing and shaking in the bed across the room. The mattress barely moved when she sat next to the young woman and gently shook her shoulder.

"Kunoichi-sama," the elderly woman spoke in a calm voice that nonetheless held authority. "Wake up. It is just a dream." Years of experience allowed the elderly lady to quietly move back so that when the younger woman suddenly sat up, their heads wouldn't collide.

"It was a dream," she repeated to the terrified young one. "They can't hurt you here."

Clammy hands came up to push pale pink hair from a wide forehead; bottle green eyes flashed over the room—checking for threats—before resting on the other woman; labored breathing relaxed until it became steady and deep. The younger woman licked dry, cracked lips and spoke in a raspy voice.

"A dream," she echoed. "Only a dream and still I react. It's been a month, Koto-san."

"Some things take time," Koto answered.

"Time," the younger woman sneered. "It always comes back to time. And I don't have enough of it."

"You have all the time in the worl—"

"No I don't!" the younger interrupted. "And don't lie to me and say I do. I have to get over this and get on with my life. I've responsibilities—people who count on me. I _must _get over this."

"We have offered to remove one of your responsibilities from your shoulders, Kunoichi-sama," Koto gently reminded. "The offer remains."

Pale hands became fists and eyes turned hard with hate at the statement. The kunoichi turned her head and glared at the older woman.

"I have no wish for you to remove that particular responsibility, Koto-san," she snarled. "It is the only thing that gives me the drive to move on."

"As you wish, Kunoichi-sama," Koto patted the sheets next to her and stood up. "The cart is arriving later today. If there are any messages you wish to send to anyone, you can commission a basket at noon."

The kunoichi watched the elderly woman leave the room and thumped down onto her bed. The strain of getting up wore on her mind, although her body was perfectly healthy. A familiar fluttering in her belly reminded her that she needed to eat soon and a small smile covered her face.

_I'll beat this, _she thought. _I will._

* * *

"Tsunade-sama," Hinata called from the doorway. She hated bothering the older woman, but Kiba wouldn't wait forever. "I must speak to you about Inuzuka Hana and her situation."

Tsunade looked away from the annoyed blue eyes in front of her and focused on Hinata. The younger woman blushed when she realized whose meeting she just interrupted. Kakashi and Sasuke nodded in acknowledgement of her presence while Naruto gave her a wan smile. Hinata's heart ached at that smile since it paled in comparison to the other ones he used to give her.

"Is it truly important, Hinata?" the Godaime asked.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Hinata forced herself to dismiss the others from her mind and only looked at Tsunade.

"You three may go," the blonde woman ordered. "And I don't want to hear anymore about going after Sakura."

"But Baa-chan…"

"Enough!" Tsunade roared. "She's safe and she is away from this village of her own free will. Sakura is using this time away from Konoha to good use and is on an extended mission to learn about the poisons found on this continent. This is at the request of the Council and she's the most qualified person to do this assignment. She can't complain about it, so neither can you."

The blonde man grumbled for a bit, but left along with both Sharingan wielders. Hinata didn't wait for the door to slam shut fully before she rested her hands on Tsunade's desk and leaned forward.

"We need to adjust the Code and enlarge the number of moderators in it," she announced. Her pale eyes flashed as her suppressed stress began to push through. "Hana-san isn't as healed as the therapists indicated and she's not the only kunoichi who is suffering."

"Hinata," Tsunade stared at the almost frantic woman in front of her. "This isn't like you."

"Of _course _this isn't like me!" Hinata yelled. She ran shaking hands through her long hair and pulled the midnight-blue strands away from her face. "Tsunade-sama, I'm not cut out for this…all of the lies and deceit; all of the stress and knowing everyone's secrets is changing me and I don't like it. Sakura was much better than me about dealing with the stresses of this job. I just can't keep sending those bouquets and then seeing what happens to the women when the treatments don't work."

The Hyuuga was hanging onto her sanity by a few threads and Tsunade knew that soon she might have to create a bouquet for the woman in front of her. The Hokage brought her hands to rest under her chin and stared at Hinata for a long moment. Although part of her wished to reach out and comfort the other woman, the part of her that acted as the leader of her village would not allow her to do so. There was no trace of helplessness in her voice when she spoke next, but it was there in her honey-brown eyes.

"What do you suggest, Hinata?" Tsunade asked. "There is no one else I can trust with this. The Council doesn't pay for our little organization within the shinobi ranks so I can't hire someone to do this for you. Ino and Ten-ten aren't capable of handling this responsibility as well as juggling their own."

"I know! I know, but neither am I. Godaime-sama, I want to be me again," Hinata pleaded. "I'm sick of acting tough and aggressive. I've pulled rank on three more missions since Sakura went missing and each time my teammates found it very strange that I would do so. People will start to get suspicious and that will put more of our women in jeopardy."

"I understand your position, Hinata," Tsunade murmured. "But frankly, the change in your attitude lately is just what a kunoichi is _supposed _to be. There've been no complaints about your job performance and your mission success rate is noticeably higher."

"I don't _**care**_ if they're higher."

The younger woman seemed to fold in on herself as she collapsed onto the chair behind her. A shaking hand went up to push the hair out of her eyes and rested against her forehead. Leaning her elbow on the armrest, Hinata looked at her leader with pleading eyes.

"I want to be me again," Hinata whispered. "I want to be the quiet girl who gets to sit next to Naruto when he's eating ramen. I want to sit down and press flowers into my scrapbook without remembering that the last bunch I sent off sentenced a woman to solitary confinement. I want to be _me _again."

Tsunade's eyes softened as the young woman broke down in tears—cradling her aching head in her hands.

"Godaime-sama," she sobbed. "I'm sick of trying to be Sakura."

* * *

**A/N:**

Should I end it there? I think I'll end it there.

Yay! Writing funk over with and now I'm writing a lot. I have the next three chapters outlined and ready for fleshing out. Whoo-hoo!

Thanks for the reviews guys. I know several of you were concerned over Hinata's…um…aggressiveness in the past two chapters, but it's all part of the story, don't worry. It's been almost 10 years since the series began and everyone changes when they get put in a new job with new stresses.

I imagine that any job involving protecting other people—with the high chance of having to _hurt _someone to do it—will change anyone's personality. Especially when you get put in a high-ranking position on really short notice. That's my reasoning for Hinata's OOC-ness.

As for the flower code…I'm glad I've got so many of you guessing! It makes my writer's heart proud that I can do that.

But here's a _**hint**_:

It has almost nothing to do with the "traditional" symbolic meanings of different flowers.

Sorry, riverbreeze…


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"So what do you propose, Hinata?"

Hinata looked up from her sobbing to find that she had Tsunade's undivided attention. The younger woman gulped and she remembered the ragged look on Kiba's face as well as the dark circles under Hana's eyes. Renewed determination filled her as she straightened up in her chair.

"I request to include several male shinobi as moderators in our organization," Hinata began. "We don't need many. Just a few whom we trust absolutely and know will be assets to our group. They need to be available here in the village rather than in the safe houses so that they can monitor the ongoing health of our kunoichi and perhaps give them a more male perspective of their situations. Give them a shoulder to cry on—so to speak. They can also help our kunoichi readjust to being around men again."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow and began mentally sorting through the male ninja she knew who fit that category. She knew of two who could possibly be of help. The problem was: they always seemed to work as a team. She grabbed a scroll and began to write prospective candidates on it. As she wrote, she asked Hinata one question.

"Do you have anyone you'd like to include in this group?"

"I do," Hinata replied. "Inuzuka Kiba."

The blonde stopped her frantic scribbling and looked up. Her eyes narrowed and her speech became a little more frigid. "Is this because he's so insistent on knowing what happened to his sister?"

"Partly, Godaime-sama. He _did _confront me today about her recent behavior," Hinata confessed. "And partly because I think he'd make a good moderator. He's rough around the edges, but he's also compassionate. He's also tough, physically. If a kunoichi gets violent, he can either take the blows so that she can let off some frustration or he can hold her down and subdue her. With his sense of smell, he can tell when a person is confused or lying and that would be a remarkable advantage for this kind of work."

"A traumatized woman might see his gruffness as aggressiveness," Tsunade countered. "And he might damage her further."

"That's why I've requested _several_ males, Tsunade-sama," Hinata answered. "If we have at least three good men that we can pick from, then that's all we need to fit the needs of our kunoichi. Plus, you're forgetting the fact that he has Akamaru."

"What does he have anything to do with this?"

"Sometimes, when I'm down or sad I'll go off on my own. When I was younger, it was always Akamaru who found me first," Hinata smiled at the memory.

"He'd just lie down beside me and let me pet his fur. Sometimes I'd talk to him. I don't know if he told Kiba anything I said, but just talking to someone who wasn't required to answer back was pretty good therapy for me. If we send Akamaru out to comfort a kunoichi, she might begin talking to him as well and for the same reason. But we have the advantage of knowing the conversation thanks to Kiba and Akamaru's relationship. If she says anything dangerous or damaging to her health, then Akamaru won't hesitate to tell Kiba. And since he's not human, we won't have to deal with therapist/patient confidentiality."

"I see what you mean," Tsunade said. "I agree with you. We _do _need a few males involved in our organization—if only to get our kunoichi used to working with men again. I don't have to tell you the number of all women squads we've had to send out lately. This could work out for the better. I'll look at names tonight and have the complete list for you by morning. I'll order the men to come here at noon for briefing after you've approved the shinobi I choose."

"Ah—Tsunade-sama…about Kiba…"

"Tell Inuzuka Kiba everything you think he should know about his sister," Tsunade allowed. "But direct him _not _to offer her counsel or a 'shoulder to cry on.'"

"But he's her brother," Hinata argued.

"Exactly," Tsunade replied. "He's too close to her. They have too much history together for her to be entirely comfortable with him knowing the truth. Once you've approved the list—and I think you will—Hana will have a moderator assigned to her. But it won't be her brother."

"Do I tell him about the flowers?"

"No," the Hokage answered after a long pause. "Let's give up that information on a need to know basis. We are bringing men into this because we have to, but we don't have to tell them everything right away. Just tell him what the flowers his sister received meant. Now go. I'll give you the list tomorrow."

Hinata bowed and smiled in relief that Tsunade accepted her proposal before she left the room.

* * *

"Well?" Kiba asked his former teammate. 

Hinata refused to back down from her friend's stare and smiled grimly. "You might regret forcing me to tell you about your sister, Kiba-kun," she said. "You've definitely gotten more than you bargained for this time."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that once I tell you about your sister's situation, you will be a member of our little _club,_" Hinata explained. She waved her hand dismissively at Kiba's confused expression. "But that's a conversation for another day. What do you want to know about what happened?"

"It all started with her mission," Kiba murmured. "What happened over those four months that made my nee-san act like this?"

"Actually," Hinata corrected. "Her mission only lasted for a day. And it wasn't a solo mission she was on; she had a partner."

"Who…?"

"Me," the Hyuuga answered. "We became partners for that one mission and the entire time, things went wrong. I mean, seriously _wrong_, Kiba-kun. When we finally completed the mission, it was too late. The experience severely traumatized your sister. We had to send her on a retreat, but, if what you tell me is true, it seems that it didn't work."

"Retreat?" Kiba wondered. He watched as his long-time friend abruptly sat down on the grass and began to absently pat Akamaru's head. He sat down too, but kept his gaze on the kunoichi.

"When Sakura, Ino, and I were 16 there was a secret meeting for the kunoichi of the village," Hinata started as she stared off into space. "Tsunade-sama wanted to create a system where female ninja could release their emotions and heal their psyches in a comforting environment. We set up a network of houses that are staffed with some of the best therapists on the continent."

"I remember that day…the village was pretty weird with just the children and guys around," Kiba murmured. Then something Hinata said registered in his brain. "Wait, _heal_?"

"You know how stressed we get as shinobi," the woman paused to push her long hair behind her shoulder and then resumed petting the huge dog at her side. "For kunoichi it's especially difficult. It's no problem to be as strong as men and train ourselves to be tough mentally, but there are still a few things and a few situations where we'll always be more vulnerable than men. Being raped on a mission in near the top of that list. So is having to seduce a target to gain information or for assassination."

Horror appeared on the dog nin's face as he began to understand. "Was nee-san…?" he rasped.

"No," Hinata reassured her old teammate. "She wasn't. This mission turned in a different direction. But it was still necessary to send her to a safe house so that she could rest and get treated."

_Thank Kami, _Kiba thought. Rape sometimes occurred during missions, he knew that. But it never occurred to him that one of those women could be his sister—or his mother.

"But what about the flowers?" Kiba asked. "They _have _to mean something."

"Of course they mean something," Hinata said softly. "We needed a secure way to inform the safe houses when someone would arrive and what shape the kunoichi is in so that they could prepare the right treatment. That's when someone decided to use the flower system we use now. It works because the Yamanakas are a clan that owns flower shops all over the continent. No one really tries to intercept a flower cart headed for a big village."

"So what did the flowers for my sister mean?" Kiba's voice was as soft as Hinata's and he looked down at his hands.

"Your sister got White Lilies and Yellow Tulips in her bouquet, didn't she?" Hinata recalled. She took a deep breath before she revealed part of the code to the quiet male next to her. "White Lily is our code for the death of a child, Kiba-kun. Whether they died in the crossfire of a battle or they are our intended targets, it doesn't matter. Those are the flowers we send if that happens."

Kiba's breathing hitched at this revelation and his hands clenched into fists. "And the tulips?" he croaked out.

"It tells the therapists that the kunoichi has gone insane for a while—like Anko on a really bad day. Except Anko knows exactly what she's doing and she won't actually kill anyone. Just scare her victims into pissing themselves," Hinata smirked a bit at her description, but kept her voice purposely flat for the next few sentences. "Yellow Tulip is the code for a kunoichi who loses herself to bloodlust and goes berserk. It means that the shinobi went on a killing spree, Kiba-kun."

"My mom only started to cry when she saw the tulips," Kiba replied. He put the two meanings of the flowers together and came up with a very uncomfortable conclusion. "So my sister went on a killing spree during a mission and children were killed?"

Hinata nodded sadly. "The day before I sent the bouquet to your house, Hana and I went on an A-Class mission on the border of Fire Country. We had to take out the headquarters of a child prostitution ring that's been plaguing the authorities for the past five years. Your sister just lost it when she saw what they did—_were_ doing—to those kids. She went into a rage and began killing all of the men in the building."

"_Kami…" _Kiba gasped.

"That's not all," Hinata continued. Her throat constricted and she had to swallow a few times before she could speak again. When she did, it was in a rasp that held horror and pain. "In the middle of everything there was a group of older boys—barely teenagers, really—who were trying to shield the younger ones from the bloodshed. Hana-sempai didn't…she _couldn't _recognized that they were different from the other men and killed them. She was too far-gone, Kiba-kun. I had to close her tenketsu."

"So that's why kaa-san was crying," Kiba realized.

"Your sister was taken to a safe house nearby and kept there for four months. It took her half of that time to calm down and another month before she spoke a word to anyone," Hinata stood up and brushed the grass off of her body. "They thought that she was sufficiently healed enough to resume shinobi work, but if what you say about avoiding the Academy is true, then we might have to send her to another safe house."

Akamaru whined at that comment while Kiba angrily stood up to glare at his ex-teammate. "You'll send her away?" he demanded. "Just like that?"

Hinata felt the comfortable feeling she was sharing with her friend disappear and sighed as the cold tension that constantly surrounded her these days took its place. She forced her voice to remain steady as she spoke.

"A broken kunoichi isn't of use to anyone, Kiba-kun."

"You're sounding more like your father everyday," Kiba spat. "Do you have any idea what getting that flower arrangement did to my mother? Do you even _care_ anymore?"

"I _have_ to be this way. Tsunade-sama gave me this mission because of my connections and position in the village," Hinata began to shake in anger as she remembered sobbing in front of the Hokage earlier that day. "It's not like I _wanted _to be in charge of the flower arrangements!"

Kiba watched as the Hyuuga turned on her heel and began to pace back and forth. Seeing Hinata upset like this made his heart break a little, but the love he had for his sister was larger than the love he had for his old teammate. She was talking about sending his sister away _again_ like she was talking about the weather.

"Do you have _any _idea how many of those damned things I send a week?" Hinata ranted. "How many I send in a _month_? Didn't you ever think that a few of those arrangements were for Hanabi? You're not the only shinobi with a sister to worry and care about, Kiba-kun."

Kiba crushed the feeling of guilt that rose up within him. It was true that he'd forgotten about Hyuuga Hanabi being a chuunin, but again, love for his own family overruled that of a friend's. He was about to turn to leave when Hinata spoke again.

"Tsunade-sama wants you to report to the Hokage Tower tomorrow at noon, Kiba-kun," Hinata said, her throat so tight with unshed tears that her voice sounded hollow and cold. "She also orders you to not interfere in your sister's treatment. Be there for her as her brother, Kiba-kun; not as her therapist."

"When will you send another _arrangement _to my house?" Kiba asked bitterly.

"If she doesn't improve by the end of the week, I'll send a Blue Dahlia to your house," Hinata walked past him and paused at the edge of the training ground. "Until then, you can try your best to get your sister out of her mood."

_A Blue Dahlia, _Kiba repeated to himself. _Sakura got one of those in _her _bouquet._

"And what does **that **mean?" he asked.

"You have five days, Kiba-kun," she replied, ignoring his question. "Help her before I absolutely have to send that flower."

"What does a Blue Dahlia mean, Hinata?" Kiba repeated. He stilled when Hinata turned around and looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"It places the kunoichi under suicide watch, Kiba-kun."

* * *

**A/N:**

Okay, so no Kakashi/Sakura goodness in this chapter, but I told you a little about the Code. So yeah!

Of course I only told you the meaning of _one _of the flowers in Sakura's bouquet, there are still two more for you to figure out.

There is one reviewer that messaged me who pretty much nailed each meaning of the flowers in Sakura's arrangement on the dot. For reasons of the reviewer's safety, I will not divulge the name. I just wanted to give kudos for figuring it out!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Tsunade knew that when she accepted the role of Hokage that her days of rest were long over. Taking the title meant more than being the strongest ninja in the village and wearing a funky hat. It meant days filled with paperwork and boredom.

It meant worrying over the economy of her village and overseeing the status of the ninja under her care.

It meant hardening her heart against the guilt she felt over sending _children_ into the battlefield and their probable deaths when they should be running around playing and being _children_.

It also meant having the patience and diplomacy to deal with politicians (who usually had hidden agendas) and shinobi (who usually had questionable mental status) with care and finesse.

Calling up every fiber of that patience and care now, the blonde Sannin addressed the men standing before her in a cool, even tone that betrayed none of the rage she was feeling.

"Mission request denied. There will be no shinobi sent out. Any further requests of this nature from _any_ of you gentleman will also be denied," she paused a bit for the look of unbridled shock on each man's face to turn into the sly look of a scheming mind. As well as she knew the men standing before her; she knew that they would do as they pleased unless she stopped their train of thought now.

"Any actions taken ignoring this ruling will be seen as insubordination and punished accordingly," she added coldly. "Minimum punishment for insubordination is three months off of the Active Roster followed by two months of D Rank missions and four months working as a teacher's assistant at the Ninja Academy…all at reduced pay. The maximum punishment is expulsion from the Shinobi Ranks of Konoha."

She glared at each of them and grabbed her sake cup from its place near her elbow. After taking a slow sip, she set the ceramic cup down with a decisive snap.

"You are dismissed."

Amber eyes narrowed when the four standing in front of her refused to move. Mild surprise filled her at the restraint they showed so far. She half expected one or more to interrupt her when she gave her decision and felt oddly disappointed when they took her news quietly. That surprise quickly turned into suspicion when one of the men stepped forward and bowed low at the waist. The fact that dark and defiant ebony eyes resolutely held her gaze ruined the classic gesture of respect and submission.

"We are willing to pay triple the amount normally charged for a mission of this rank, Hokage-sama," he spoke, never breaking their staring match.

"You are aware that the mission you're requesting is an expensive one?" Tsunade asked. "To triple the amount would make the cost—"

"—worth it," the man interrupted. "And considering my circumstances, as well as the circumstances of my comrades, the cost of such a mission is easily affordable."

"It's not like we go around spending all of the money we get from the missions we take," the blonde man behind the speaker snorted and Tsunade barely heard his muttered phrase.

"Can the village afford to refuse the payment this mission will receive?" the dark eyed man stood up straight from his bow and raised an elegant ebony eyebrow in question. "I'm sure there are areas of the village that would benefit from a sudden increase in Konoha's budget."

Tsunade laced her fingers and looked at the man before her. He'd been gone on a long-term mission for the past six months and just returned two days ago. His voice was as even as hers and his knowledge of shinobi infrastructure and politics made him a challenging opponent. She knew that when the Council heard that she refused a client offering to pay triple the usual amount, she'd be in deep shit.

Grudging respect grew in the Hokage and she leaned back in her chair, suddenly weary.

"You are willing to pay triple the amount…" she sighed. "I will reconsider your mission request. I will send a messenger to you tomorrow with my decision."

The man bowed again, this time keeping his eyes on the floor, and quickly herded his companions out of the Hokage's office without another word.

Tsunade smiled despite the pounding headache the men just gave her. She knew that sending him on that mission to Suna would be good for him. But she didn't know that it would be _this _good.

"My, my," she whispered as she took another sip of sake. "I wonder what other talents besides diplomacy and espionage you have, Sai."

* * *

"Why did you make us leave, Sai?" Naruto glowered as he plopped himself down at the counter of Ichiraku's. "Baa-san was gonna give in!"

"If we had pushed the issue, Hokage-sama would have refused our request again," the dark haired shinobi sat down in a calmer manner and ordered his food. "I know you want to get Ugly back as soon as possible, but nothing will be changed by shouting and tantrums, Dickless."

"YOU SONUVA BITC—"

"He's right, Naruto," Kakashi interrupted. He flexed his fingers and winced behind his mask when the light popping of joints met his ear. It took every ounce of his being to keep up his calm façade and the tension was starting to get to him. "We should be grateful to Sai that he managed to even get Tsunade to reconsider."

"But if she agrees, there's no guarantee that she'll send one of us," Sasuke murmured to everyone's surprise.

"Why wouldn't Baa-chan send one of us?" Naruto questioned. "We're her teammates, teme. Who else besides us—and maybe Ino—can convince her to come back home?"

For the past two days—ever since the morning Sai came home to find the village lacking one pink-haired medic—Sasuke's attitude had gone from quietly amused and friendly to just plain quiet. He wasn't as cold as he was when he was a preteen, but there was a new aura about him that kept people from approaching him. Even the ever-present Uchiha fangirls kept their distance lately.

"You know something we don't," Kakashi said. He glared at his former student as his quick mind drew in the information he knew and came up with a picture he didn't like. "You're acting differently."

Sasuke stiffened at the accusation, but averted his gaze from the older man. "I may be stressed about a few things," he replied.

"Bullshit," Naruto said. The tall blonde forgot all about joking and insulting brunettes as he leaned against the counter. "Even _I've _noticed, teme. You've been weird lately."

"I agree," Sai said, fake smile in place. "This morning I saw you walking by the Yamanaka's. You looked up just as Ino-chan came out and shared a long look. I read in a book the Kazekage lent me that unspoken romantic feelings can cause such long, sorrowful glances. Are you and Ino-chan involved romantically?"

"You're cheating on Maya-chan?" Naruto yelled. "And with _INO_?"

"I'm not cheating on Maya," Sasuke growled. He glared at the still smiling Sai and resisted the urge to punch the man. "Ino misses Sakura as much as we do."

"Ah…" the other brunette raised his forefinger in the air and quoted, "'Sharing mutual grief is a good way to strengthen bonds as well as ease each other's pain in stressful situations.'"

"Put that finger down before I break it," Sasuke warned.

"Y'know…" a voice drawled. "Anyone hearing you say that out of context would have a field day thinking of perverted thoughts."

"Oi, Kiba," Naruto greeted. "What're you doing here?"

Teuchi—the ramen chef—turned at the sound of the man's name and picked up a takeout box filled with ramen. He smiled as they exchanged money for food and nodded at the ninja. Kiba turned toward the others and smirked when he saw Naruto's eyes widen at the scents coming from the box.

"Thanks, oji-san!" Kiba leaned against the counter on the Uchiha's free side and slammed his palm against the wood to get Teuchi's attention back. After talking with the chef for a few minutes, the dog nin looked at Naruto out of the corner of his eyes.

"Want something?" Kiba asked, unable to resist provoking the blonde.

"Why do you get your food first?" Naruto demanded.

"Because some of us use our brains and call in our orders ahead of time, baka."

Sasuke heard Kiba's smart-ass reply to the blonde's question, but tuned out the ensuing argument. Instead, he quickly palmed the small metal disk Kiba left on the counter when the dog nin slammed his hand on it earlier. Luckily, no one saw the slight movement. Sasuke could only breathe a mental sigh of relief that Naruto was so easily distracted. He checked on his other teammates and saw that Kakashi had his porn in front of him and that Sai was too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice.

"TEME!"

Naruto's shout knocked the Uchiha out of his musings and he looked up to find a bowl of ramen in front of him. When he turned his head, he found that Kiba was gone and that the other males of his team were eating their food.

"What, dobe?" he asked, breaking his chopsticks and muttering a quick "Itadekimasu"

"I was talking about training after this," Naruto repeated. He stuffed the hot noodles into his mouth and spoke through the half-chewed mess. "You wanna?"

Sasuke winced at the display and absently fingered the medallion in his pocket. His sensitive fingers easily traced the outline of a flower on one side and the corresponding wave symbol on the other.

"Gonna have to pass, dobe," Sasuke said. "I've got things to do."

Before his teammate could take exception to his cold tone, the Uchiha pushed his untouched ramen in front of the blonde. A joyous smile broke over Naruto's features and all thoughts of arguing vanished.

_Sometimes he's _too _easy,_ the raven-haired man thought.

"Ja ne, Sasuke," Sai said.

The other brunette raised his fingers in farewell and vanished in a cloud of smoke.

"Hey!" Naruto realized. "We never got to bug the bastard about what he's hiding."

"We could always search his home," Sai suggested.

"Hmmmm…that's an idea," the whiskered man murmured.

Neither man noticed the silence of their leader. Nor did they notice the angry glint in his visible eye.

_What do you know, Sasuke? _Kakashi wondered. _And why does it involve Inuzuka Kiba?_

* * *

It was dark and cold in the room, but comfortable as well. Four figures stood silent—each leaning against a wall and looking for all the world like the very foundations would crumble if they weren't there to hold the wood and stone up.

"You're mission is to escort one of our packages to the House in Wave Country," the First voice that spoke was one not heard very often in the past, but now held an authority that no one would dispute.

"How long?" the Second speaker questioned.

"As long as it takes," a Third person answered.

"How much?"

"Normal fees," came the answer. "Along with whatever else the client is willing to pay."

"I heard it was a King's Ransom," the Fourth figure spoke at last.

"Not that you need it," the First's statement was laced with cynicism.

"That smile doesn't suit you," the Second sighed.

"So I've been told."

The Fourth person sighed and raked a hand through his hair. Glaring at the flowers stored in the refrigerator next to him, he then turned to the newest addition to their group.

"I never knew that you'd be getting an assignment so soon," he admitted. "I barely told you what to expect."

"Two days is enough time to prepare," the First voice held no room for doubt.

The Third figure opened one of the refrigerators and pulled out a potted plant. She handed it to the Second and then turned to leave. The others began to follow, but the Fourth turned to face the man scowling at the plant in his arms as if it were a viper.

"Take care of her," he growled. "You know what happened."

"Yes," came the monotone response.

"Just…" words seemed to escape the other man for a moment "Take care of her, Sasuke."

* * *

**A/N**

Not exactly sure of this chapter…but I've done my best.

Sorry to everyone about the late update. You'll get more when I've time.

Ja ne!


	13. AUTHOR'S NOTE: PLEASE READ

**Warning...**

alright don't yell at me or message me about what a horrible author i am but prepare yourselves...

i'm putting this story on hiatus

i know i'm not the best at updating, but that's usually because i feel no inspiration.

now i can't update because my personal life is--for lack of a better word--shit right now.

i'm in the middle (more like the beginning) of a divorce and the emotional, financial, and social backlash from that is taking up my time and literally sucked my passion for writing out of my life. i can barely get the energy to get up to go to work, let alone write a story.

especially a romance...

i don't know how long this mood is gonna last, but if it's longer than two months, i'll hold "open auditions" for other authors who might want to take this story up and continue writing it with notes and outlines that i have.

again, i'm sorry about the delays...especially to those who've been with this story from the beginning.

nothing can really express the pain i'm feeling right now and no words i can put together can explain why my divorce is even happening in the first place...but my younger cousin played a song for me and the chorus hit me kinda hard:

_I__ don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you  
And all the loneliness I would go through  
But if you wanna leave I won't stop you  
'Cause I don't want you if you don't want me  
To be the one...the only one you wanna run to  
Baby boy you know I've just begun to  
Realize what's important to me  
So don't leave.  
Don't leave  
--"Don't Leave" by Vanessa Hudgens_

yeah...I know...I'm not a fan of High School Musical, but those lyrics are especially meaningful to me right now...

p.s.  
anyone count the number of times i used "especially" in this message?


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